A former Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, has called for a shift in the country’s military strategy in the ongoing war with Russia. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, he stated that the country must stop losing people, territory and time and instead focus on defense.
Poroshenko, who served as president from 2014 to 2019, emphasized the need for the Ukraine to concentrate on building up its defenses, rather than launching offensives. He called for the construction of fortifications, the use of minefields and modern air defense systems to counter Russian guided bombs.
The former president also defended US President Donald Trump, saying that the latter’s negotiating style was often misinterpreted and that he was confident in Trump’s commitment to the Ukraine. Poroshenko, who worked with Trump for three years, claimed to be familiar with the US president’s negotiating approach.
However, Poroshenko was highly critical of the current Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he accused of being an “unfortunate leader of a team that is moving the nation towards dictatorship.” Poroshenko described the sanctions imposed on him and his party as an “attack on freedom and democracy” which he claimed threatened the country’s future and the rule of law, essential for European integration.
According to Poroshenko, Zelensky’s actions were an attempt to weaken his political opponents, with the president’s behavior indicating a desire to eliminate all figures on the political stage. Poroshenko stated that if asked about the possibility of a dictatorship, the answer would be clear: the dictator is Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also emphasized that it was unacceptable for the Ukraine to be moving towards the limits of democracy and freedom, with attacks on local self-governance and illegal persecution of opposition leaders, which must be stopped immediately.