Ukraine's foreign minister says his country cannot negotiate a peace deal with Vladimir Putin because the Russian president isn't trustworthy.
Dmytro Kuleba told NHK in Kyiv on Monday that Ukraine has no choice but to succeed in its counteroffensive against Russia. He said, "If we want to exist as a nation, if we want to survive, we have to win, whatever it takes."
Kuleba added that "the more successful Ukraine is on the battlefield, the more willing Russia will be to negotiate." However, he doesn't "see a window for negotiations with Russia anytime soon."
Kuleba said Putin "cannot be trusted because even if he gives you his word, there is not a single guarantee that he will not break it."
Kuleba emphasized that Putin is "not the man you can seriously negotiate anything" with. He said, "If you believe that you successfully negotiated with him, then you expose yourself to his attack."
Kuleba expressed frustration with recent criticism from Western nations that Ukraine's offensive isn't meeting expectations.
He said someone who is "sitting in an armchair and commenting on the pace of" the offensive should not tell "our soldiers that they are too slow." He said soldiers are dying in the effort, and that they "deserve full respect."
Kuleba also said he views Japan's contributions to Ukraine "very positively." He said Japan's involvement with humanitarian aid is of a "historic, unprecedented nature." He said that he clearly sees a "new quality of relationship" between the countries.