Poroshenko on the BBC: To succeed in negotiations, one must speak the language of force to Putin.

Petro Poroshenko, the fifth president and leader of the European Solidarity party, explained on the BBC from Munich why negotiations with Russia should be conducted exclusively from a position of strength.

Asked whether he expects positive results from the next round of negotiations, Poroshenko said: “What do we need for success in Geneva? First of all, we must understand what ‘Putin’s practices’ are. Putin doesn’t want an additional 100 kilometers of Ukrainian land. Putin doesn’t want the energy resources of Donbas. Putin—and I understand and know this for sure, because I negotiated with him for five years—wants his own personal role in history. And he sees his role as the restorer of either the Soviet Union or the Russian empire. And that’s precisely why the idea of Putin as a dictator with whom one can negotiate on favorable terms will definitely not work. That’s why we have no results,” Poroshenko is convinced.

“What do we need for success? Point number one: we need strong Ukrainian armed forces. Because only the language of force understands paths. Point number two: we need sanctions that will cut off the means of financing the war. We’ve already achieved a very successful step—a global price cap on Russian oil, an attack on the ‘shadow fleet,’ and pressure from secondary sanctions,” the fifth President gave as an example.

“This is precisely the language Putin understands. And that’s precisely why it was so important to hold these negotiations in Munich. Because Munich isn’t just a stage; Munich is also a home front. And I dream of the European Union being at the negotiating table. Because when I say ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,’ I can also add: ‘nothing about Europe without Europe,’” Poroshenko emphasized.