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“People in Europe can be pissed off with me, but I kept saying, and I will keep saying, that the truth is today Russia has a friend ready to send its soldiers to die for Russia[’s] war,” he said, whereas Ukraine’s friends won’t even send it the weapons it needs.
A deal Zelenskyy can’t sign
Trump vowed on the campaign trail to end the war in Ukraine and, in characteristic fashion, boasted that he could do so in a day. But he has been frugal with the details as to how he will silence the guns. Last month, JD Vance, the vice president-elect, said any deal would likely involve Ukraine conceding territory — in other words accepting that Russia should keep all or part of the 20-some percent of the country it now occupies. He also envisaged some kind of demilitarized zone.
Kuleba has said that won’t work, given that Putin isn’t interested in diplomacy and is instead trying to wear the West down — in the belief that he can get everything he wants. The former foreign minister also can’t see how President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his former boss, can sign any pact accepting the annexation of Crimea or of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, despite his claim to be looking for diplomatic solutions.
Zelenskyy suggested earlier this month that the war will end “faster” thanks to Trump. In a radio interview with Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne he added: “We must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year through diplomatic means.” Whether the Ukraine president really believes a negotiated settlement is possible, or is merely trying to appear constructive to appease Trump is unclear — according to the counsel he has received, he shouldn’t be the first to say no to Trump and should let the Russians appear to be the unreasonable party.
Either way, Kuleba said, it is inconceivable that Zelenskyy can ink a deal that surrenders territory. “The Russians keep the Donbas, they keep Crimea, no NATO membership. Can Zelenskyy sign? He cannot because of the Constitution. And because it will be the end of Zelenskyy politically,” Kuleba said flatly.
Kuleba’s pessimism about the prospects for a negotiated end to the war carries weight — he remains widely respected in Western capitals for his effectiveness in advocating for Ukraine. To the regret of some Western partners and to the dismay of Ukraine’s opposition, Kuleba resigned in September in what friends described as a forced departure amid a controversial cabinet shake-up engineered by Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff.
