Kyiv’s victory ‘nothing to do with our security strategy’, German def min says

Berlin believes that Ukraine will eventually win in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion, but it "has nothing to do" with its security strategy, German defence chief Boris Pistorius told Estonian public broadcaster ERR.

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As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its 20th month, questions still remain as to how Kyiv’s allies see the endgame.

Ukraine has so far resisted any calls, either subtle or direct, to negotiate a ‘settlement’ with Russia, explaining it has no genuine interest in peace.

"It is not the task of the national security strategy to say who has to win the war. I said it quite clearly: Ukraine must win the war," Mr Pistorius told ERR during his visit to Estonia.

"But the definition of the winning of the war is something only Ukraine can decide, not us. This has nothing to do with our security strategy."

For months, Kyiv has been promoting its peace formula, setting ten conditions for a just and lasting settlement.

Those include, among other things, Russia agreeing to withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory, including areas it has illegitimately annexed since 2014.