To compel Russia to agree to a genuine ceasefire and create conditions for a just peace, Ukraine must be “armed to its teeth” and provided with long-term financial and political stability.
Gerlinde Niehus, a former Deputy Director for Defense and Security Cooperation at NATO and currently an independent security expert, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
When asked how Putin can be forced to agree even to a ceasefire, she said: “Well, to arm Ukraine up to its teeth, to ensure that Ukraine has financial stability and also the projection of financial stability, which shows Putin that it is senseless, that he cannot win this war.”
Niehus expressed skepticism about the current trilateral peace talks involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, noting that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is not interested in a ceasefire.
“My expectations are very, very low because, in my mind, President Putin is not really interested in peace. He needs the war to maintain power, to remain in power,” she said.
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At the same time, the expert also expressed skepticism about the role of U.S. President Donald Trump in the current diplomatic efforts.
“And also, President Trump is not really interested in a lasting, fair, and just peace. Trump is interested in getting this irritating issue of Ukraine out of the way to reset relations with Russia and to restart big business with Russiam,” Niehus said.
In her opinion, the only effective path to peace is the systematic expansion of support for Ukraine. This includes not only military support but also financial, economic, political support, and support for reconstruction.
“We are dealing with a villain [Putin]. We are dealing with a criminal and somebody who commits war crimes every day. So his calculus is different from ours. So we need to increase the price he has to pay incrementally,” the expert said.
She stressed that Ukraine’s long-term resilience is directly linked to its European integration and inclusion in collective security cooperation frameworks. Given the current political deadlock within NATO, she said, alternative mechanisms must be created to integrate Ukraine into the future architecture of European security.
“We need to create a different format for integrating Ukraine into our future security structure,” she said.
Photo: Vasyl Korotkyi