Not just 1991 borders: Ukraine's former president Yushchenko outlines what total victory over Russia should look like

Viktor Yushchenko, who served as Ukraine’s President from 2005 to 2010, expressed this view in an interview with Espreso journalist Vasyl Zyma.

"I firmly believe that victory in this war isn’t just about Ukrainian forces reaching Khutir-Mykhailivskyi on the border with Russia and stopping there. If we leave behind the evil known as 'Putin' and his fascist Russia, where Putin draws energy from 145 million like-minded people, we’re just feeding the root of Putinism. Stopping at Khutir-Mykhailivskyi would be a huge mistake. I'm not talking about physically moving into Russian territories with significant Ukrainian populations — the so-called Green Wedge, Raspberry Wedge, Yellow and Gray Wedges, Ukrainian Taganrog, and Ukrainian Kuban. These are distant regions with centuries of Ukrainian presence. We’re not talking about that kind of geography," Yushchenko stated.

He emphasized that the issue is more about politics than geography.

"If Europe and the world don’t realize that victory isn’t possible as long as the Putin regime survives, and there’s no room for negotiations with Putin at the table, then you’ve already lost by allowing this monster to stay in power. I’m talking to the Portuguese, Germans, French — you don’t need Putin. If you haven’t solved the security issue today, you haven’t solved anything on your agenda. Security knows no borders, whether you’re 6,000 km or 10,000 km away," Yushchenko continued.

According to the former president, Ukraine, along with the civilized world, must now define what victory in this war truly means.

"The world faces a huge task — defining the right exit from the war Putin started. Let me stress this to avoid any misinterpretation: if Putin is present at any conference, if his signature is needed on any agreement on behalf of his prison of nations, it doesn’t signal our victory. He shouldn’t be part of tomorrow. Then we can start addressing thoughts that are sorely underrated today. I worry that we’re heading back to the 90s syndrome, like when U.S. President George Bush came and urged Ukrainians not to declare sovereignty. Back then, thousands were rallying for independence in Kyiv’s streets," Yushchenko warned.

So far, he believes Europe hasn’t fully decided how the Russian-Ukrainian war should conclude.

"I have a feeling that the world, including Europe, is at a crossroads: if, after this war, Russia remains a player in the political arena, we’re making a colossal mistake. We’re giving Putin the time-out he desperately needs to push further to the borders of Slovakia and Bulgaria and continue the evil he sees as Russia’s mission," Yushchenko argued.

In the same interview, Viktor Yushchenko accused the West of providing billions in support to Putin's dictatorship for "15-17 years."