With Germany’s upcoming elections just days before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ex-Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urges Europe to confront the looming danger of Putin’s ambitions.
One day before the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Germany will head to the polls. Yet throughout the pre-election campaign, support for Ukraine has not been a major talking point for the leading candidates and their parties.
When asked why Russia’s war against Ukraine has played such a minor role during the campaign, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed the reason is “Because you don’t believe that could happen to you.”
In his view, this is understandable to some extent – Germany’s streets are safe, and there is no threat of airstrikes.
“You’ve forgotten that it could all be gone and can’t imagine something like this coming to your home”, he added. “Us Ukrainians could have never imagined that this could be coming to our country.” He believes that people don’t take the threat seriously until they themselves come under attack.
Still, he refers to Germany’s development over the past three years “remarkable”.
Kuleba took office foreign minister in March 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During his tenure, he has worked with two different German governments.
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Germany was led by the SPD-Greens-FDP coalition, which has since made the country Ukraine’s second-largest supporter of .
The endless Taurus debate
Despite this significant shift, Kuleba believes the coalition’s legacy is overshadowed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision not to send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. “That’s how politics works,” he explained. “You can do many good things, but in the end, you’re remembered for what you didn’t do.”
During his time as Ukraine’s top diplomat, Kuleba repeatedly criticised the German government over its reluctance to deliver Taurus cruise missiles.
When German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Kyiv in September 2023 without approving the deliveries, Kuleba remarked: “I don’t understand why we’re wasting time.”
He added that both Ukrainian soldiers and civilians had been killed due to the delays and that “there isn’t a single objective argument against it.”
Since his resignation in September 2024, Germany has still not committed to sending Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. In an interview with Euronews, Kuleba explained that, in his view, the reason is that Scholz wants to show he is a man of principles, where “no” really means no.
At first, he refused to send artillery to Ukraine, he also initially rejected sending tanks, but now, Ukraine has both, Kuleba told Euronews. “I believe at some point he simply decided to draw a red line and show that when he says no, it means no. It’s very unfortunate, but he has the right to do so.”
Whether this red line will persist in the new government remains uncertain. But the question has now grown much broader: “The core issue is: will Europe assume responsibility for itself or not?” he asked.
According to Kuleba, this is a question that not only the German government but also many European governments must now ask themselves. “Putin will test NATO if Ukraine falls,” Kuleba added. “I’m not saying this as a Ukrainian, someone people might accuse of trying to drag us into war or scare you. No. We will make it.”
ADVERTISEMENTHe explained that the West has failed to deal with Putin for 20 years. “His ambition is to conquer Ukraine and destroy the West. That’s how he wants to go down in history”, he explained.
“You don’t want to believe us as you never wanted to believe us before 2020. History is repeating itself. When European politicians solemnly declare “never again” on every anniversary of the First and Second World Wars, they are lying – because history repeats itself over and over.”
Resignation from politics
In early September of last year, Kuleba announced his resignation amidst a government reshuffle. Since then, he has withdrawn from politics and has been appointed Senior Fellow at the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Sciences Po in Paris.
Kuleba still resides in Ukraine and doesn’t plan on moving. As a result, his work with the universities is a mix of online and offline, he explained. “My conclusion, which may change over time, is that students are much more realistic than professors,” the former foreign minister told Euronews.
ADVERTISEMENT“Many professors I’ve met on both sides of the ocean live in a world of Cold War clichés and strategies. They include Russia in every conversation as an indispensable part of the world order they know.”
Kuleba views intellectual challenges in academia as an opportunity for conversation. “When you’re a foreign minister, it’s like mowing the lawn every day without touching the root. So, when I left the government, I decided to tackle the issues Ukraine is suffering from at their core, in the form of narratives, decisions, and policies,” he explained, adding that this root can be traced to a single element: viewing Ukraine through the lens of Russia.
According to Kuleba, this is the core of the problem when convincing others to judge Ukraine on its own merits. “You see a real shift in their perceptions, ideas, and decisions, and then they go to their classrooms and teach future foreign ministers, national security advisers and diplomats.”
“They absorb these ideas, which they will later implement in policies and decisions. So, I decided to focus on the hardest part of the battle for reality.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe reality of war
For Ukrainians, the approaching third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion is also difficult. Russia regularly attacks Ukraine and is slowly advancing along the country’s eastern front. Kuleba still remembers every second of 24 February, 2022.
“War teaches you to make decisions,” said Kuleba. “And those decisions are binary. There’s no middle ground.” He concluded as early as November 2021 that Russia would invade Ukraine, thus giving him months to decide. “I decided to take up the fight.”
He recalls being the last Ukrainian politician to give a speech abroad at the UN General Assembly before the invasion.
“The invasion began. I boarded the plane, and the first rockets hit Ukraine while I was in the air. For me, there was no other choice”, he recalled, adding that two people contacted him, urging him not to return to Ukraine “because Ukraine was doomed” and suggesting he should stay abroad as foreign minister.
ADVERTISEMENT“I crossed the border from Poland to Ukraine on the night of 25 February because I made the decision that I wouldn’t give up. And since then, I’ve never had any doubt about this decision.”
