Kiev should sign on to an “agreement that no one will like” to avoid years of war, Dmitry Kuleba has said
Kiev must accept an “agreement that no one will like” if it wants to avoid many more years of conflict with Russia and a potential complete collapse, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said.
Speaking at a conference in Kiev on Monday, Kuleba, who held his post between 2020 and 2024, said both Ukraine and Russia have the resources to keep the fight going for years, while predicting that the front line “will move every year” without a political decision.
“We are in a situation where Russia has the ability to destroy us, and we are not strong enough to fully protect ourselves,” he said, adding that only a deal “that no one will like” which locks in a “tactical defeat and strategic victory” could prevent “many more years of war… even worse.”
His comments come amid speculation about the US-drafted peace plan for Ukraine. Its initial version reportedly requires Ukraine to relinquish parts of Donbass still under its control, abandon its NATO membership ambitions, and accept limits on the size of its armed forces. According to the reported plan, Ukraine would receive certain security guarantees from the West.
As part of ongoing diplomatic efforts, a Ukrainian delegation met US officials in Miami on Sunday, with media reports saying the four-hour talks were “not easy” and that “the search for formulations and solutions continues.”
While both sides described the discussions as productive, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky said territorial issues remain among the most difficult points to resolve. He has repeatedly ruled out any land concessions.
Meanwhile, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff – who attended the Miami talks and has emerged as a central American interlocutor with Moscow – is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Putin has suggested that the reported US proposal “could form the basis of a final peace settlement,” while reiterating that any end to the conflict depends on Russia achieving the goals of its special military operation. Moscow has said that a lasting settlement is possible only on condition of Ukraine’s neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of the territorial reality on the ground.
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