No chance for peace with Russia through diplomacy alone — Ukraine's former PM

This was stated by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, founder and head of the Kyiv Security Forum and Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014–2016, as he opened the 17th annual Forum titled UA: UNITE AGAIN TO DEFEAT THE GLOBAL AGGRESSOR on May 8 in Kyiv.

"80 years have passed since Nazi Germany suffered a crushing defeat and the Allies won that war. I believe the time will come when the modern Hitler, Putin, will surrender, along with his inhumane ideology and all the crimes he and his country have committed. Along with the genocidal war he started against my country. The only way we can win is by uniting again. We did it 80 years ago. And we will succeed on this righteous path to restoring global order," he said.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk noted that a policy of appeasement always leads to aggression.

"I want us all to remember that in 1938, the free world at the time wanted to sign agreements with Hitler. And what happened as a result? He started World War II. In 2014, after the modern-day Hitler illegally annexed Crimea and sent his troops to Donetsk and Luhansk, the free world again wanted to sign an agreement with him. And what happened? In 2022, he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. So, no more appeasement policy. To achieve peace, we must show real strength," emphasized the head of the Kyiv Security Forum.

He also questioned the effectiveness of achieving peace solely through diplomatic channels and on diplomatic terms.

"I categorically disagree with this. I see no chance of achieving peace with Russia solely through diplomatic means. Diplomacy must be backed by military strength. That is the only language Putin understands," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

In his view, stopping the war against Ukraine requires a clear and comprehensive plan: "And we cannot achieve peace through concessions. Concessions only fuel the appetite of this beast. We have already made too many concessions and paid for them with our lives, with blood. This is our shared struggle."

Yatsenyuk also emphasized that Ukraine has become a true stronghold of European and global security.

“We have shown the whole world that despite Russia being armed to the teeth, despite it having allies like China and other tyrants and dictators, despite the fact that Russia possesses nuclear weapons, we have the courage, the will, and the resilience to stand firm and halt the Russian military onslaught. We are wounded, but our will is unbroken. We are tired, but not exhausted. And we know that the time will come when Ukraine and the free world will prevail. That is the very essence of our conference: let us unite again and win,” the politician concluded.

The forum is being broadcast live.

The Kyiv Security Forum was founded by Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Open Ukraine Foundation as a platform for discussing issues of war and peace, national and global security.