Ukraine's foreign minister explains why West should not fear Putin's threats

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is convinced that the Allies should increase their support for Kyiv despite Russian leader Vladimir Putin's threats, as he does nothing beyond talking.

Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter) on 15 September, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The minister stressed that Putin's threats do not work, so Ukraine's allies should not fall for them.

In the spring of 2022, Putin warned of unimaginable consequences if the West supplied Ukraine with defensive weapons. However, Sybiha pointed out that the weapons were delivered, and Putin took no action. This kind of rhetoric has been repeated numerous times in recent years.

The minister added that Putin had also threatened consequences over NATO enlargement yet did nothing when Finland and Sweden joined the alliance. Despite all his warnings, Sybiha added, Putin took no action when Ukraine received F-16s.

"When confronted with strength, Putin backs off and finds ways to explain it to his people. Putin uses threats to weaken support for Ukraine. Instead, allies should boost it. Lift restrictions. Bolster Ukraine’s long-range strength, air shield, economic and energy resilience," the foreign minister stressed.

Background:

• On 12 September, Putin stressed that any move by the West to allow Kyiv to use such long-range weapons against targets in Russia would draw NATO into the war with Russia, a sharp escalation of his rhetoric on the war.
• In response to Putin's intimidation, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that it was the Russian leader who started the war in Ukraine and he could end it at any time.
• The EU said that Putin's threats would not change the EU's position on supporting Ukraine.

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