Ukrainian ex-President Poroshenko confident war can be stopped within 24 hours
He outlines his vision in an interview with Voice of America
Former Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko believes the Russo-Ukraine war can be stopped quickly.
In an interview with Voice of America, he said that for this to happen, Ukraine must be invited into NATO the moment President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
He noted that Putin is not prepared to end the war, which is why “we must make tremendous efforts to prepare Putin for these negotiations.”
“What language should we speak to Putin? The language of force, including complex and modern weaponry. Putin must feel that he is paying a high price. For instance, Ukraine is attacked by over 2,000 Shahed drones every month. Ukraine should respond with 3,000 Shahed drones per month targeting Russian infrastructure,” Poroshenko said.
He added that there’s a need to introduce crippling Russian sanctions that would reduce exports from $600 billion to $200 billion, precluding Putin from waging the war.
He also unveiled the terms of negotiations that he outlined back in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and occupied Luhansk and Donetsk. They include five points:
- No compromise on Ukraine’s sovereignty and national identity—Ukraine will never again be part of Russia.
- No compromise on Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
- The Ukraine’s Armed Forces capacity to defend the country must be preserved
- No compromise on sanctions. If we reach any agreements, sanctions must remain in place to weaken Russia and prevent it from attacking us again.
- Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic future is non-negotiable. “We must become a member of NATO. As the President of Ukraine, I enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine that we must be a member of the European Union,” he said.
While expressing optimism regarding Trump who was the first US President to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons, he did not elaborate on the feasibility of this plan.
According to media reports, Trump’s potential peace push may include territorial concessions to Russia without officially recognizing them as part of Russia. As well as a 20-year NATO accession delay for the war-torn country.
Trump is to take office on 20 January 2025.
