We are dealing with unusual war, it is not just territorial conflict: Portnykov at Kyiv Security Forum

He shared his opinions during the broadcast of the forum on Espreso TV.

"We have to realize, and this is basically the key role of Ukraine in this war, that we are dealing with an unusual war. This is not just a territorial conflict, not just a conflict over the future of a certain state in Central Europe. We are dealing with a conflict that will determine the shape of the world in the coming decades. We must clearly realize that the defeat of the Soviet Union in the Cold War created opportunities for the emergence of the so-called monopolistic world, where democracies defend their priorities and invite others to join them," said Vitaliy Portnykov.

According to him, this was not always the case, the US defeat in Vietnam, the disappearance of the Republic of South Vietnam, which the United States promised to protect, led to the bipolar world in which we all lived.

"If Ukraine can survive, and international law is restored and strengthened, then we can stay in this conditional monopolistic world. If the conflict drags on for years, weakening and exhausting the West, and Russia as well, then there will be all the conditions for the emergence of a bipolar world, where the United States and China will actually share spheres of influence according to their capabilities. If Ukraine loses, its statehood is destroyed, and international law finally becomes a thing of the past, then we will find ourselves in the multipolar world that Vladimir Putin dreams of. It will be a world in which the United States and China will share spheres of influence in the Pacific region, and Russia will become the political hegemon of Europe even without any war, because European societies will be frightened by Russia's triumph and the West's helplessness," the journalist commented.

In his opinion, for Ukraine, for the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, there are no guarantees that they will remain on the side of democracy if Russia and China grow stronger and win. And the main problem is that in this case, it is unclear where the border of the world of democracy will be.

"Because we may not be dealing with Russia's aggression against Poland or the Baltic states, but we may be dealing with disorganized societies in these countries. That is, the voters of these countries will bring to power those who agree with Moscow without Russian tanks. And we see the mood in Slovakia, Hungary, and the list goes on. Therefore, it is now in our region that politicians must become statesmen. Because we can see the triumph of those who say that we need to negotiate with Russia. This is a very real development that will not be pleasant for us. If we are ready to sacrifice political interests for the sake of national salvation, then we can win. Today, it is the Ukrainian soldiers who are upholding all this conditional stability, and it is the Ukrainian Armed Forces that give us the opportunity to discuss options," Portnykov summarized.

• The 16th annual Kyiv Security Forum, organized to mobilize transatlantic support for Ukraine, is taking place on March 21 and 22. The slogan of this year's forum is: "Ukraine says to the world: let's win together!"