Ukrainians should ignore warnings that doomsday is almost upon them because of an impending Russian incursion, the country’s top diplomat has cautioned, after US officials sounded the alarm over claims Kiev could fall within days if Moscow orders an offensive.
In a statement on Sunday, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Kuleba sought to allay fears of that a war is looming, adding that his country is prepared for any scenario.
“Don’t believe apocalyptic predictions,” he urged. “Different capitals have different scenarios, but Ukraine is ready for any development of events.”
“Today, Ukraine has a strong army, unprecedented international support, and Ukrainians’ faith in their country,” he went on, writing in Ukrainian only, suggesting that his words were intended for his fellow citizens. According to Kuleba, “the enemy should be afraid of us, not us of them.”
In an interview with The Guardian on the same day, Kiev’s former defense minister Andrey Zagorodnyuk claimed that Russia has the military might to “now seize any city in Ukraine.”
However, he said that while the situation looked “pretty dire,” Ukraine does not “see the 200,000 troops needed for a full-scale invasion.” Zagorodnyuk also said that he did not believe a Russian incursion was inevitable.
The Washington Post reported at the weekend that US officials had briefed lawmakers and their European partners on new assessments suggesting Moscow’s armed forces would be able to overrun Kiev in just two days, causing up to five million refugees to flee the chaos.