"My position here is very straightforward: those countries that complain about lacking funds to support Ukraine, yet are willing to spend tens of billions of dollars and euros on a peacekeeping contingent, should rather allocate part of that money to Ukraine and invest the rest in their own arms production. With those funds, they can provide all the necessary weapons to our Armed Forces so they can effectively combat the enemy on the ground," said the former minister.
Kuleba referred to this option as a "more efficient use of resources."
According to the ex-head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the aggressor country, Russia, does not benefit from an international peacekeeping contingent because Moscow believes in its ability to achieve its war objectives, while peacekeepers could essentially become a "barrier" between the two armies.
Kuleba also pointed out that deploying peacekeepers "a thousand and a half kilometers away" would be "unprecedented in terms of finances and personnel." If the contingent is limited, it will not fulfill its intended function.
"Wherever they are stationed, it may appear calm, but in other areas of the front, the war will continue at the same scale as it does now, and this approach will not work," he believes.
Kuleba explained that the idea of peacekeepers in Ukraine would only work if a series of factors align, the main one being that "Russia must abandon its idea of advancement, and those willing to send such a mission must realize that we are talking about 'not just tens of thousands of soldiers, but many more'."