Over the past two years, the fear of escalation by Russia has been a key factor constantly hindering the acquisition of necessary weaponry and the adoption of important political decisions in support of Ukraine.
This was stated by Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, on July 2 during an online speech at The Economist's panel discussion "Overcoming Conflicts: Seeking Opportunities" in Athens, Greece.
"Over these two and a half years, nothing has harmed our common cause more than the fear of escalation. We heard this every time we called for a new type of weaponry that Ukraine desperately needed to protect its people and critical infrastructure. We heard this every time an important decision needed to be made: from granting Ukraine candidate status for EU membership to other significant political steps," the Minister noted.
The Foreign Minister emphasized that ultimately, all decisions were made, and none of them led to escalation from the Russian side. He reminded that, first of all, Russia itself constantly escalates the situation independently of any decisions, and secondly, "its escalation pockets are already empty."
"My request today is to believe in Ukraine's ability to win and finally abandon the fear of escalation. It is Putin who should fear us. He should try to anticipate our moves. He should be cautious and seek ways to end his aggression. Not the other way around," the Minister stressed.
In this context, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine outlined three decisions, the adoption of which would help Ukraine and its allies fundamentally improve the situation on the battlefield.
"First, providing Ukraine with more 'Patriots' and other air defense systems and the corresponding missiles to drive Russia out of Ukrainian skies. Second, giving Ukraine the ability to destroy Russian air terror means, its bombers, before they approach Ukrainian borders — on airfields in Russia and in its skies. And third, ensuring sufficient and stable supply of artillery ammunition to give the Ukrainian ground forces an advantage," the Minister noted.
