Putin does not need Crimea and Donbas. He wants to dominate the whole of Europe - Poroshenko
The leader of the "European Solidarity" party and the fifth president, Petro Poroshenko, urged not to believe Putin’s words about his readiness for peace talks.
He said this in an interview with the Bulgarian BGNES Agency, Censor.NET reports.
The EU leader stressed that Ukraine needs arms supplies, sanctions against Russia and financial support.
"Putin does not need Crimea. Putin does not need Donbas either. What is the evidence? He has completely destroyed Donbas. If you see the picture in Vuhledar, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka, Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk and other cities today, there is no life in this territory. Putin wants to destroy Ukraine because he doesn't even need Ukraine itself. Putin wants to dominate the whole of Europe. This is a crazy idea of the emperor," Poroshenko said.
According to the fifth president, Putin may one day claim that Bulgaria or Germany were once part of the Russian Empire.
"The only lesson we have to learn is that we have to be united, strong and determined. We should not let Putin scare us and we should not trust him. My strong recommendation to Bulgaria and to our NATO partners is let's stop Putin in Ukraine. Let's not stop it in other countries, whether in Bulgaria, Romania or Poland," Poroshenko said.
He also urged not to believe Putin's claims that he was ready for peace talks.
"Putin is a KGB officer specially trained to lie. I can confirm this over the five years of my presidency. Don't look at what he says, look at what he does. On the day he said he was ready for talks, he attacked a shopping centre in Kharkiv with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and guided bombs. Civilians, including children, were killed and dozens were seriously injured. This is just one shocking moment in one Ukrainian city, after one Putin attack. This is the price Ukraine pays for those who still think that maybe Putin will say something positive to them. He won't. Putin only understands the language of power, and to negotiate effectively, we have to be strong.
Do you know who is the best peace negotiator with Putin? Who is the best diplomat? It is the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And we have to make them stronger. We need to improve their capabilities. We need to supply them with weapons and new technologies, impose sanctions on Russia to reduce Putin's ability to finance the war, provide financial resources and invite them to NATO. This is the best answer to Putin," Poroshenko concluded.
