Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba doesn’t believe a ceasefire with Russia is in his country’s best interest at this moment in time.
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Kuleba, in a New York Times opinion guest essay published on Friday, argued that any ceasefire would benefit Russia because Moscow would use the agreement to replenish its military’s depleted forces “before returning to further aggression.” He also argued that Russia couldn’t be trusted due to its repeated actions in contradicting statements by Kremlin officials.
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“For Vladimir Putin, a cease-fire now would simply allow his depleted invasion forces to take a break before returning for further aggression,” he wrote. “The truth is simple: Mr. Putin will not stop until he is stopped. That’s why calls for a cease-fire, audible across Europe and America, are badly misplaced. This is not the time to accept unfavorable cease-fire proposals or peace deals.”
The Ukrainian leader also noted the repeated Russian military actions that contradicted public comments, such as the strike on Odesa just days after the two sides agreed to a deal to restart Ukraine’s exports, which had been held up in the Black Sea.
“It’s not as if the Russians are setting out a concrete path to a cease-fire,” Kuleba added. “One day, Russia’s foreign minister claims the country is ready to expand its war aims. Next, he says Moscow is prepared to negotiate with Kyiv ‘on a wide range of issues,'” while, “Next, he says Moscow is prepared to negotiate with Kyiv ‘on a wide range of issues.'”
The way for Ukraine to push Russia back is for the U.S. and other Western countries to continue supplying it with weapons, though he described the act as one not of “charity,” rather, “It is a necessary investment in Europe’s long-term security.”
To date, the U.S. has provided more than $7 billion in military assistance since Russia invaded in late February.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that any ceasefire agreement that allows Russia to keep captured Ukrainian territory would only encourage additional Russian aggression.
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“Freezing the conflict with the Russian Federation means a pause that gives the Russian Federation a break for rest,” he said. “They will not use this pause to change their geopolitics or to renounce their claims on the former Soviet republics.”
