The West needs to change its approach: relying not on diplomacy but focusing on deterrence and countering Russian aggression.

This was the message of Ambassador Kurt Volker, the US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations in 2017-19, at the 17 th Annual Kyiv Security Forum “UA: UNITE AGAIN TO DEFEAT THE GLOBAL AGGRESSOR”, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation “Open Ukraine”.

The diplomat supports the idea of a ​​Lend-Lease for Ukraine - as a program of mutually beneficial cooperation that extends loans to Ukraine without encumbering US taxpayers, and allows for loans’ repayment over some time. He also considers it appropriate for the US Congress to introduce secondary sanctions against countries and companies continuing their business engagement with Russia.

At the same time, Ambassador Volker admits that currently the world lacks a clear mechanism to force Putin stop the war.

“This is a question that I have no answer to. We have witnessed that the US and Ukraine suggested a ceasefire – an unconditional one. And Putin said “no”, so even during the announced pauses, attacks continue, with civilians killed in Sumy,” the diplomat noted.

Ambassador Volker also criticized the idea of Putin’s return to the “Big Eight” and the attempts of the Donald Trump Administration to “encourage” Putin’s cooperation with the West: “The idea was: to give Putin some “carrots”, encourage him, offer his reinstatement in the G8. This is solely a reflection on ideas about potential behaviour of the Russian leadership. The problem is
that Russia wants to build its empire on the backs of its neighbors.”

According to Kurt Volker, the Russian leader is guided by his imperial worldview and is convinced that he has the right to claim territories not only in Ukraine, but also in Georgia, Moldova and elsewhere. Therefore, according to the Ambassador, peace is not on the Kremlin’s current agenda.

“Putin believes that Russia has the right to conquer other territories. Peace is not what he thinks of. Therefore, we need to build a strategy of deterrence. This should be our approach,” the diplomat concluded.

The Kyiv Security Forum, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” Foundation, is the main platform in this country to discuss problems of war and peace, national and global security.