Kyiv Minister tells west to 'get serious' and warns of Russian escalation

Europe needs to get serious about the existential threat posed to it by Russia, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister said yesterday, warning that Vladimir Putin would “escalate escalating”.

- Luke Harding

In an interview with the Guardian, Sergiy Kyslytsia - Kyiv’s former ambassador to the UN - said the Kremlin was already at war with Europe. He said Russia’s drone incursions this week against several EU countries were well calculated and an attempt to “move the red lines”.

“I’m sure Putin gets emotional if not physical satisfaction humiliating the west by showing what he perceives as his super-strength,” Kyslytsia said. He added that Putin’s reckless actions risked antagonising a White House that appeared to be cooling on him. “It’s a boomerang thing,” he said.

What Russia does next depends on whether Europe and the Trump administration show collective resolve, Kyslytsia suggests. Without a decisive transatlantic response, Putin would “escalate escalating”, with more actions designed to disrupt and paralyse the continent.