As Russia continues to attack Ukrainian infrastructure and appears to be preparing for a spring offensive, Ukraine and its allies held a conference in The Hague on Tuesday about something very different. Ministers and experts discussed a compensation fund and ways to hold Russia legally responsible.
News hour spoke with the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba. “We must already determine what it will take to hold Russia accountable.” But, he also says, “the best way to help Ukraine now is with weapons.” And especially with air defense: “Five Patriots are enough to protect Ukraine from air attacks.”
Putin is a liar. He wants to discredit Ukraine.
When it comes to responsibility for the war, it quickly turns to Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the chance that he will ever appear before a tribunal seems slim. “Few believe in that,” Kuleba agrees. “But I work every day to make it happen. He must be held accountable for the atrocities he committed.” Part of the Nazi leadership and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic eventually succeeded, despite low expectations, he emphasizes.
‘Putin wants to restore sphere of influence’
The minister has no doubts about Putin’s intentions. “Putin and his entourage are crystal clear about this: the state of Ukraine has no right to exist, the Ukrainian identity does not exist. These statements are all genocidal in nature.”
And Putin will move on to other countries if he gets the chance, Kuleba says. “I have no doubt about that. His goal is not only to destroy Ukraine, but to restore the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence. That includes the Baltic states, Central Europe, Finland, Poland and the Balkan countries. “
No one can see into his head, but European army leaders and military experts also recently warned that we must seriously take into account that Putin is planning a wider war. Kuleba: “I recommend neither exaggerating nor underestimating the threat. The invasion of Ukraine also actually started two years earlier with large-scale Russian exercises along the border.”
Five Patriots
It is therefore “completely logical” for Western allies to supply Ukraine with more weapons, the foreign minister says. “You want to avoid needing those weapons in your own country to defend yourself against Russia.”
At the moment, Ukraine is mainly in need of air defense. “Seven Patriot systems would be optimal, but let me be modest. With five Patriot batteries we can defend the most important industrial cities against Russian missiles.”
Patriots have an estimated price tag of more than a billion dollars each, but that is still a lot less than the cost of the damage Russia is now causing, according to Kuleba. “And once we eliminate the threat, the Patriots will return to where they were stationed.”
Supplication
Ukraine produces enormous quantities of drones itself, but is largely dependent on allies for other weapons. Europe is having great difficulty scaling up production. “I’m sorry to see that,” Kuleba says.
“I am not ashamed to beg for more support for the people I represent. If our allies send air defense and believe in victory, we will crush Russia.”
But in the meantime, Putin is trying to sow doubt and discord in the West, Kuleba sees. For example, the Russian president links the recent attack in Moscow to Ukraine, without evidence. “When I heard the news about the attack, I said to my partner: within a day Putin will come up with a Ukrainian trail.”
Completely unbelievable, says the minister. “Putin is a liar. He blamed Ukraine for the downing of MH17. He lied about troops in Crimea in 2014 and then about troops in Donbas. He would not invade Ukraine. Why would this be the first time he is telling the truth?”
Lying and making Ukraine a scapegoat is a deliberate policy of Putin, says Kuleba. “This is how he justifies the war. He also wants to discredit Ukraine in the international community and mobilize the Russians against Ukraine.”
Pitfall
As far as Kuleba is concerned, a just outcome of the war can only be that Ukraine regains all occupied territories and that Russia is punished. “A permanent member of the UN Security Council attacks a sovereign neighboring country, takes land and kills people. Why should we be willing to compromise?”
Past experiences make the Ukrainian government even more skeptical about a compromise with Putin. In 2014 and 2015, agreements were intended to put an end to the fighting that took place in eastern Ukraine. Kuleba: “Where did those agreements take us? They led us to an invasion. We will not allow anyone to throw us into the same trap.”
We also spoke to Kuleba about the discussion about NATO membership and about the growth of the radical right, which is relatively skeptical about support for Ukraine:
‘Defending your motherland is a duty, not a choice’
