Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko granted an exclusive interview to FRANCE 24 from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, just a few kilometres away from Russian troops. Poroshenko, who was in power from 2014 to 2019, welcomed the "growing" Western support for his country, as well as the EU's decision to provide some €450 million in weapons to the Ukrainian military. He thanked EU leaders for their support, saying "we are not afraid of Putin" and "Putin is weak when we are together".
Speaking to FRANCE 24 from the streets of Kyiv, Poroshenko said he hoped Western support to Ukraine would stop "the attempt of Putin to ignite World War III".
The former president went on to say that he wanted Ukraine to join NATO and the EU, calling for "immediate candidate status" of the latter bloc.
Asked about his hopes for the peace talks taking place on the Belarusian border, he said he wanted a ceasefire, ruled out a compromise on Ukraine's territorial integrity and demanded the Russians "get out of Ukraine".
Poroshenko said Russian President Vladimir Putin made "many mistakes and underestimated the Ukrainian army". He added that Putin did not expect such strong international solidarity with Ukraine.
Finally, Poroshenko claimed "sanctions are completely destroying the Russian economy", saying it could collapse, which would lead to protests. He said Putin would then have no other choice but to withdraw troops, declare a ceasefire and negotiate.
