Ex-Ukrainian FM says Kiev may need to accept a ‘tactical defeat’ to end conflict

Former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmitry Kuleba says Kiev may have to accept an agreement to prevent the conflict with Russia from dragging on for years and risking the country’s collapse.

Speaking at a conference in Kiev, Kuleba argued that both sides have the capacity to continue fighting indefinitely, warning that without a political breakthrough, the front line will simply “move every year.”

He said Ukraine is currently “not strong enough to fully protect itself,” suggesting that only a deal amounting to a “tactical defeat” but offering a “strategic victory” could avert a far worse outcome.

His remarks come amid reports of a US-drafted peace proposal that would require Ukraine to surrender remaining territory in Donbass, drop NATO ambitions and accept limits on its armed forces in exchange for Western security guarantees.

Ukrainian and US officials held difficult talks in Miami over the weekend, with President Vladimir Zelensky insisting that territorial concessions remain off the table.

Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has said the reported American plan could serve as a basis for negotiations but reiterated that any settlement must include Ukrainian neutrality and recognition of Russia’s territorial gains.