Eric Quinn Knowles

Ceding Ukrainian land for peace is just abstract words. It’s not only about reality, even more about philosophy. Putin was talking about Donbas, but then he decided to occupy Kyiv, our capital. His words were about Donbas, but the reality was about Kyiv. He kept saying he was defending Russian-speaking people and then tortured hundreds and thousands to death in Bucha and other places. So that wasn’t about Russian-speaking people. This is why when Americans asked, “Can you exchange Donbas for security?” I said right there, “Can you tell me what it means? What security? NATO?” “Not NATO, but similar to NATO.” “Similar? But you don't want the answer about Donbas to be ‘similar.’ You want a clear answer about Donbas. This is your goal. And this is Putin’s goal, for today. What will you do if we have security guarantees but not NATO?” They took our nuclear weapons. I'm not a fan of nuclear weapons. I think the world would be a better place without them. But the Russians took our nuclear weapons, didn’t they? They did. Then they stopped our integration into Europe, then prevented us from being in NATO. And in the end they occupied us. This is why it’s an abstract question. Nobody trusts Putin to stop if we leave Donbas. He will pause. Then he will come back in one year, two years, or five years. And who will be guilty? From an interview with DR Nyheder. (2/3)

I held a coordination call on the aftermath of Russia’s attack and recovery efforts after the strikes. In tonight’s attack, Russia used 36 missiles approaching their targets along a ballistic trajectory. Only four missiles were taken down. Unfortunately, there is still a significant shortage of interceptors for Patriot systems, and the United States is in the best position to help address it. At every level, we are looking for ways to speed up deliveries and get the necessary messages across to the American side – so that Ukraine receives the means to protect lives. This is especially important right now – not just ahead of winter, but also ahead of another joint effort with our partners to reinvigorate negotiations. Russia has a very particular view of diplomacy – as a subtype of aggression. By intensifying its attacks on Ukraine and our infrastructure at this very moment, Russia is trying to additionally lay the groundwork for putting pressure on Ukraine’s position and that of its partners. We hope that the United States, like our other partners, will act on principle. Technical assessments are ongoing at the sites hit by ballistic missiles. According to preliminary findings, at one of the key energy facilities that was damaged, the Russians used KN-23 missiles manufactured and supplied by North Korea. This is further proof that global sanctions regimes need to be significantly strengthened – against everyone in the world who provides their “services” in destroying lives. There were detailed briefings on the challenges Kyiv is facing. I instructed Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Vyhivskyi, together with all the relevant agencies and the Kyiv City Administration, to prepare backup transport routes and additional transport for Kyiv. At present, such contingency plans are practically nonexistent at the city level. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi delivered detailed briefings on the restoration of energy facilities and the forces involved. The military also briefed me on the use of electronic warfare, and we defined areas for scaling up. There was also a separate briefing from Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Meetings in the G7 format are being prepared, and Ukraine will be represented. We are counting on new contributions from European countries to the PURL initiative – there are preliminary commitments. There will also be new energy support packages for Ukraine, as well as new deliveries to support our logistics. Thank you to everyone who is helping! Thank you to each and every person doing effective work for Ukraine and for recovery after Russia’s strikes.

Russians are using “shahed” drones and missiles to hit even the energy equipment that our nuclear power plants depend on. Every power plant in Ukraine has been damaged in one way or another by Russian attacks. We need transformers, and power cables, modern electrical equipment, and different generators – both diesel and gas. We know that companies in Spain and Latin America can help with this. We are interested in transformers from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, power cables from Chile, and electrical equipment, cables, and generators from Spain. We need equipment that works with our power grid. And we need it fast. So please, help us work directly with your companies and get these supplies to Ukraine as quickly as possible. So let’s make it happen. From an address at the 30th Ibero-American Summit. (3/3)

When Putin seized Crimea, both Europe and America were quite openly making calls, holding meetings, and sending signals to the Ukrainians who were in power at the time that there should be no escalation – let's just keep things friendly and leave things as they are for now. And we lost Crimea. After that, we lost part of Donbas. But the shooting in the east continued. There was no peace. People think we were always helped. That is not true. Help started coming after the full-scale invasion, but that was after eight years of Russia occupying our territory. That is a long time to figure things out and understand that Putin has no intention of giving anything back to us. At one point, some Europeans asked me: “Why do you think that if you withdraw from Donbas, he will go further?” And I answered: “Because at the beginning of the war, he wasn't seizing Donbas. He came to the capital. He seized parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Kherson itself, and Kharkiv region.” We have retaken a lot of territory, but he had seized different parts of our country. And now they want us to give them something because they are unable to seize it. We may have a smaller territory, less money, and fewer weapons, but we still have more dignity than many others. We will do everything we can to end this war, but it must end in a way that preserves our dignity. From an interview with ZDF. (2/3)