Kuleba to Politico: The West doesn’t know for what it’s fighting

The West lacks clarity on its purpose in the Russo-Ukrainian war, has no defined strategic objective, and fails to fully understand the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Politico.

“You cannot win a war where Russia clearly knows what its strategic goal is in every detail; [where] Ukraine knows what its strategic goal is in every detail; but [where] the West, without whom Ukraine cannot win, does not know what it is fighting for,” he said.

He described this lack of direction as “the real tragedy of this war.”

Kuleba also questioned the determination of Ukraine’s Western allies, particularly Germany, where early parliamentary elections are to take place early next year. 

“[Russian leader Vladimir] Putin still believes he can snuff out Ukrainian statehood and crush Ukraine as an independent democracy, and he thinks he’s one step away from exposing the West as weak,” Kuleba said.

Russia’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine, he said. 

“Ukraine is a personal obsession for Putin, but crushing Ukraine is also a means to accomplish his grand goal – to show to the world how the West is incapable of defending itself or what it stands for,” he said.

While Russia’s allies send troops to the front lines, Ukraine’s partners struggle to provide sufficient weapons. 

“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 [North Korea] ready to send its soldiers to die for Russia[’s] war,” Kuleba said as he contrasted the West’s reluctance to send more weapons to Ukraine.

He also questioned whether a future Trump administration would have any real leverage over Moscow or a strategy in place if Putin refuses to negotiate on Washington’s terms.