Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says Ukraine's short-term goal in relations with the Russian Federation is to achieve the principle of peaceful coexistence.
"Without a strategy of relations with the Russian Federation, we cannot guarantee our security and clearly build strategic prospects for the development of our economy, even if we take, for example, the issues of economic transit through the Russian Federation or those economic restrictions that the Russian Federation may impose on the access of Ukrainian goods to its market," he said at an online briefing on Thursday, an UNIAN correspondent reports.
According to Kuleba, Ukraine "should learn how to live with the Russia that we have at our side."
"And to this end, we need to look at it very soberly, with a cool head. I can say with absolute responsibility that the understanding of the need for this strategy exists not only in the Foreign Ministry. And I speak with my colleagues in the government and in the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, we discuss this, and there are certain developments. The National Institute for Strategic Studies has recently published such a conceptual document on approaches to building relations with the Russian Federation," the minister said.
"I personally think – this is my opinion and this is what I, as a minister, bring into my conversations with colleagues on this topic – I believe the short-term goal in our relations with the Russian Federation is to achieve the principle of peaceful coexistence. Now there is war ongoing between Russia and Ukraine. It's a fact. We must end this war, bring peace back to Ukraine, restore our territorial integrity, but we understand Russia will not change if we do so, even if we achieve this result, and Russia's strategic goals toward Ukraine remain unchanged. These are destructive forces. Therefore, achieving the principle of peaceful coexistence would meet the interests of Ukraine," Kuleba said.
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Kuleba noted Ukraine cannot change its geographical position, and this is the main thing that everyone should understand.
"It is very difficult to raise this topic in a broad context since we see the emotional reaction on the part of the public to any talk about Russia, but Ukraine needs a serious, substantive, and calm conversation on Russia," Kuleba concluded.
