In an interview on Saturday morning with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Europe's era of peace is "over" as his country continues to fight against Russia's invasion.
The Context:
Saturday marks the two year anniversary of when Russian troops rolled across the Ukrainian border for Moscow's full-scale invasion.
On Thursday, Ukraine's military said Russia had sustained 407,240 casualties since February 2022, including 1,160 in the previous 24 hours. In an operational update on Wednesday, Russia's defense ministry said Ukraine had lost almost 1,200 troops in the previous day. Moscow does not provide a running tally of purported Ukrainian losses. Newsweek could not independently verify either count
What We Know:
Kuleba said on Saturday that Ukraine is not only the frontline for his country's war with Russia, but it also serves as the frontline for Europe, overall.
"It took too much time to admit that they [European countries] have to invest in the long-term production of weapons. Let's face it, weapons' production isn't the most popular area of investment for Europe," he said. "But now there's a war. The era of peace in Europe is over. Europeans have to accept that fact. Whether someone likes it or not."
Views:
Conservative Seth Grutz, a public relations professional from Virginia and an adviser to The Renewal Initiative, wrote Friday in a Newsweek opinion column that he is "ashamed" that U.S. House Republicans have abandoned Ukraine.
"As the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion nears, we risk abandoning Ukraine by our inaction. I'm a conservative. I am ashamed Republicans in Congress are balking at continued military aid for Ukraine. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) won't even call the bill passed in the Senate last week up for a vote," he wrote.
Alex Little, an M.S. graduate of Georgia Tech who specializes in Russian and Central Asian affairs, wrote Thursday in a Newsweek opinion column that Ukraine and Western countries should capitalize on Russia's apparent willingness to negotiate.
"With limited resources, Ukraine and its strategic partners must adopt a defensive posture, building fortifications and defensive capabilities to show it can sustain a long war of attrition and prevent further Russian advances. Such an approach will buy Kyiv time—which it will need if the U.S. election season delays ceasefire negotiations," Little wrote.
What's Next?
Russian President Vladimir Putin may announce the annexation of the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.
While the Washington, D.C., think tank said such a possibility was unlikely in the short term, its report on Thursday describes a continuing hybrid operation by Moscow to destabilize the former Soviet state, which borders Ukraine.
Internationally recognized as part of Moldova, whose European Union (EU) aspirations have angered the Kremlin, Transnistria is located between the Dniester River and the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. Moldova has no control over the Russian-speaking region that claimed independence after the collapse of the USSR, sparking an intervention by Moscow.
"I'm making the point when I speak to my European colleagues, that every piece of weapon and every round of ammunition produced in Europe, should serve the purpose in defense of Europe. And the place where Europe is being defended is Ukraine," Kuleba told Amanpour on Saturday.
Update 2/24/24, 12:28 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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