Kuchma thinks unrealistic that Putin will go to peace talks about Ukraine - Guardian

According to the Ukrainian expatriate, Putin will not be able to sign a document where he will have to give up what he wanted in Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by Kuchma in an interview with The Guardian British newspaper, published on December 11. It is unrealistic to think that Putin will agree to peace talks, the expsite said, as he has already stated that four Ukrainian regions in the south and east "belong" to Russia, although they are only partially under the control of Moscow.

"Putin cannot sign a document stating that he did not receive what he wanted. He will have to explain it to the Russian people. He is the leader of Russia," the expsite said. Kuchma emphasized that Putin's purpose was not only the seizure of land, but also the destruction of the concept of Ukraine itself as a "competitive alternative to Russia. " "The proof of this is the terrible human losses and reputation casualties that Putin is ready to go for it," he suggested.

The second Ukrainian president noted that the first signs of revisionist ambitions of Moscow appeared in 2003. Putin, as a new president of Russia, made claims to a small island of Tuzla in the Black Sea, between the Crimea and the mainland of Russia, but then the young leader of the Kremlin retreated. However, after the events of 2008, when the Russian troops entered Georgia, Putin gave a clear signal that he intends to expand Russia's borders through force.

"It was extremely unpleasant that the world did not respond. He was silent. Putin realized that he could do anything, because there was no fundamental reaction," Kuchma recalls. Also, the Ukrainian politician spoke about the situation with the further support of Ukraine by the United States.

In his opinion, the United States will "lose their faces in front of the world" if they give up Ukraine's support, and Putin will eventually take a mountain on the battlefield, where Ukrainian troops are already experiencing a lack of ammunition. "We have to hope that President Joe Biden will be able to conduct this law. The United States has lost Afghanistan. The defeat of Ukraine means that the US will lose their faces in front of the world," Kuchma added.

When asked if Kiev can win, while international solidarity seems to be weaker, he replied that he believed in the victory of Ukrainians. We will remind, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will depart on December 11 on a working visit to the United States of America. The Head of State is going to negotiate with American colleague Joe Biden in Washington, where the leaders of the countries will discuss the issues of ensuring the unity of the US, Europe and the world around Ukraine's support.