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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The diplomat believes that NATO consultations and calls for restraint will only push Moscow toward more radical measures.
Former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a broader conflict with Europe and will not let Europeans remain outside the war. He sees Kremlin hybrid attacks on the continent as a sign of preparation for such a scenario, including the failed drone attack on Leipzig airport in August. Kuleba also predicts Ukraine will face its toughest winter since the start of the war, reports Politico.
Kuleba considers the anti-European hysteria stoked in Russia to be preparation for a wider conflict with the rest of Europe. "We [Ukrainians] don't need to drag you in. Putin will drag you into the war himself," he emphasized.
Kuleba called the failed drone attack on Leipzig airport a sign of "growing preparation" for an offensive on the continent. "They see how your intelligence works. They see how your security forces work. They see how you respond, and they draw conclusions," he added. After the incident, the German government concluded that Moscow was behind the attack and ordered a review of security measures around sensitive sites.
Kuleba does not believe Russia is preparing a full-scale offensive beyond Ukraine. In his view, Moscow is most likely to attack NATO countries' critical infrastructure with drones to test the alliance's unity and readiness. "The truth is Russia doesn't need another 400 thousand people to wage this war. It needs five drones," he said.
If such an attack occurs, Europeans may demand consultations within NATO and call for restraint. However, Kuleba believes this will only push Putin to the next step. "He will always have enough drones and missiles," he added.
Kuleba no longer believes Putin can be persuaded to end the war at the negotiating table. "He is not looking for a solution or a pause, and there will not come a moment when he will start looking for them," the former diplomat said. In his view, attempts to negotiate are futile: "Putin is a guarantee of war: anyone after Putin is a chance for peace."
According to Kuleba, Ukraine faces the worst winter of the war. Moscow has intensified strikes on civilian infrastructure to break the spirit of Ukrainians. In recent months Russian forces have attacked energy facilities and transport routes, including bridges across the Dnipro. Residential buildings, stops, schools, and internet providers have also been hit. "The bombing of cities is a direct consequence of Russia failing to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield," he explained.
"They don't just want to turn off the lights in Ukraine. They want to paralyze the country," Kuleba said. He called the worst-case scenario the "collapse of the systems that make life possible in a big city": electricity, water supply, and sewage.
Asked whether Russia will succeed in achieving that goal, Kuleba replied: "I believe Ukraine is too large, mobile, and adaptable. So I think we will survive this winter. The price will be much higher than last year."
EU countries are discussing a response plan for a large-scale hybrid attack that could cause deaths. Meanwhile, Britain and Germany are launching a partnership to counter sabotage and cyberattacks. Back in September, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that in the coming months Russia might attack NATO's eastern flank with drones or missiles and then call it an accident.
On why Russia is already fighting Europe without declaring war and how to stop its hybrid strategy, Oleksiy Izhak, head of the department at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, writes in a ZN.UA article titled "Russia is already fighting Europe without declaring war. How to stop its hybrid strategy."
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Росія «втягне вас у війну»: ексглава МЗС України попередив європейців". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ZN.ua.
