Ukraine to continue peace talks with Russia 'to prevent more Buchas', says FM Kuleba

Ukraine will continue to engage in peace talks with Russia in order to prevent more incidents like those in Bucha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated. Addressing a press conference in Brussels after a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) foreign ministers on Thursday, he also called on the international community to assert pressure on the Russian Federation in a push to cease the precarious war. Kuleba added that sanctions cannot be "fully efficient" as long as Russian aggression continues.

"Ukraine continues to negotiate with Russia to prevent more Buchas," Kuleba said, as quoted by CNN. Stating that the position of each side in the negotiations "will be defined by the successes of relevant armies'', he stressed the impact of sanctions imposed on Moscow will also determine if Ukraine's position is "stronger" than Russia's. "Of course, we are focused on making sure that we will be stronger and we will eventually prevail," he added. The Ukrainian FM further reiterated an appeal to the international importers of Russian gas and oil, stating that "as long as the West ... continues to purchase Russian gas and oil, it is supporting Ukraine with one hand while supporting the Russian war machine with another." Nevertheless, Kuleba acknowledged that the penalties imposed by the West will have long-term implications for Russia.

Kuleba is' cautiously optimistic' about the outcome of NATO discussions

At the press meet, Kuleba also flagged that he is "cautiously optimistic" about the result of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, despite his clarity in putting forward "very specific" requests to the international military bloc. Kuleba went on to add that he believed Ukraine's allies understood that Kyiv is not fighting just for its own security but for that of allied nations. Referring to Ukraine's proposal to NATO, he reckoned that the deal is simple... "You provide us with everything we need and we will fight for our security and your security so that President Putin has no chance to test Article V.”

Battles in Donbass 'will look like WWII': Kuleba

Speaking of Russia's regrouping of forces to launch "phase two" operations in Donbass, Kuleba remarked that while the battle for the rebel-held region "is underway," it has not reached its maximum scale. Comparing the military conflict in the separatist-held region with World War II, Kuleba went on to add that "the battle...with large operations, maneuvers, involvement of thousands of tanks, armoured vehicles, planes, and artillery. This will not be a local operation based on what we see in Russia's preparations."

Meanwhile, western military officials have also predicted that Russia will "throw everything" into the offensive in Donbass, BBC reported. Hence, when asked Kuleba about what exactly he expects from NATO, his immediate response was "weapons, weapons, and weapons." Kuleba's sense of urgency and warning on Thursday came after the Czech Republic earlier this week became the first NATO country to provide Ukraine with Soviet-era T-72 tanks.

(Image: AP)