Ukraine’s former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has voiced strong opposition to the notion of reducing the size of Ukraine’s armed forces as part of any future peace agreement with Russia, asserting that such a move would constitute a profound “humiliation” for Kyiv and inevitably leave the nation susceptible to renewed aggression. In an interview with Euronews’ “12 minutes with” programme, Kuleba emphasized that imposing a cap on Ukraine’s military conveys a clear message that a foreign power is demeaning its army and nation. He warned that attempts to appease Russia through such concessions, particularly by limiting military strength, would ultimately “pave the road to hell with good intentions.”

These comments arise amidst accelerated diplomatic endeavors to forge a peace deal. A draft 28-point framework, later confirmed to have been authored by the Kremlin, was presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the US administration. This initial US-Russian proposal suggested a limit of 600,000 troops for the Ukrainian army, a significant reduction from its current strength of nearly 1 million soldiers. However, a leaked European counterproposal, drafted during talks in Geneva, pitched a higher cap of 800,000 soldiers during peacetime. Crucially, EU officials have since rejected the idea of limiting Ukraine’s military, with foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas advocating instead for a restriction on Russia’s army.

Western allies, united within Ukraine’s “Coalition of the Willing,” have consistently maintained that a robust Ukrainian army serves as the most effective security guarantee for the country. In recent months, there has been a notable shift in focus towards strengthening Ukraine’s military capabilities as an alternative to direct reliance on foreign troops. Another significant concept under consideration is the provision of security guarantees to Kyiv, drawing parallels to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which mandates collective defense, without granting Ukraine full NATO membership.

Kuleba expressed his dismay at the perceived lack of coherent strategy among European leaders. He questioned, “Isn't it embarrassing that, almost four years into the war, European leaders are still jumping from one topic to another, from sending peacekeeping forces to reassurance forces to strengthening the Ukrainian army, to offering something like Article 5?” He lamented the slow pace of decision-making and a perceived deficiency in Europe’s conceptual understanding of its future direction, concluding that “there are no good times for Europe ahead.”

Furthermore, Kuleba believes that the current push for a peace deal has “already fallen apart.” He attributed this breakdown to the “aggressive and erratic handling of the original 28-point plan by Washington” and the damaging leaks exposing how the plan was crafted during back-channel discussions between US and Russian envoys. The Bloomberg-obtained leaked tape, in particular, revealed US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff coaching top Russian official Kirill Dmitriev on strategies to garner President Trump’s support.

When asked about the trustworthiness of US negotiators, Kuleba offered a candid