The era of peace in Europe is over, Ukraine’s foreign minister warns

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Saturday morning, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the era of peace in Europe is “over” as the country continues to fight Russian aggression. .

context:

Saturday marks the second anniversary of Russian troops crossing the Ukrainian border for a full-scale invasion of Moscow.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian military announced that Russia had suffered 407,240 casualties since February 2022, including 1,160 casualties within 24 hours. Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced in an operational update on Wednesday that Ukraine had lost about 1,200 troops in the previous day. The Russian government has not provided a current tally of alleged losses on the Ukrainian side. newsweek Neither count could be independently verified

What we know:

Kuleba said on Saturday that Ukraine is not only the front line in the war with Russia, but also serves as the front line for Europe as a whole.

“It took them too long to admit that. [European countries] We must invest in long-term weapons production. To be honest, weapons production is not the most popular investment area for Europe,” he said, adding, “But now there is war. The era of peace in Europe is over. You have to accept it, whether anyone likes it or not.”

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Seth Gratz, a conservative Virginia public affairs expert and advisor to the Renewal Initiative, wrote in an article Friday. newsweek An opinion column called it “embarrassing” that the U.S. House of Representatives Republicans had abandoned Ukraine.

“As we approach the second anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion, we are at risk of abandoning Ukraine through our own inaction. “I’m ashamed to say that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is not even going to vote on the bill that the Senate passed last week,” he wrote.

Alex Little, a graduate of Georgia Tech’s master’s program who specializes in Russian and Central Asian issues, wrote in an article Thursday. newsweek The opinion column said Ukraine and the West should take advantage of Russia’s apparent willingness to negotiate.

“With limited resources, Ukraine and its strategic partners must take a defensive posture and build fortifications and defensive capabilities to sustain a prolonged war of attrition and demonstrate that they can deter further Russian advances. “Such an approach would buy Kiev time; the US election season would delay 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 announced.

Although the Washington, D.C., think tank said such a possibility is unlikely in the short term, Thursday’s report points to continued hybrid operations by Russia to destabilize the former Soviet state that borders Ukraine. It talks about.

Internationally recognized as part of Moldova, whose European Union aspirations have angered the Kremlin, Transnistria lies between the Dniester River and the Moldova-Ukraine border. Moldova was unable to control the Russian-speaking region, which claimed independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to intervention by Moscow.

“What I maintain when I speak to my European colleagues is that every weapon and ammunition produced in Europe should serve the purpose of defending Europe. And the place where Europe is being defended is Ukraine. ” Kuleba told Amanpour on Saturday.

Updated 2/24/24 12:28 PM ET: This article has been updated with additional information.