THE GUARDIAN: Sergiy Kyslytsya says Kremlin already at war with Europe and predicts that Vladimir Putin will ‘escalate escalating’
Europe needs to “get serious” about the existential threat posed to it by Russia, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister has said, warning that Vladimir Putin will “escalate escalating”.
In an interview with the Guardian, Sergiy Kyslytsya – Kyiv’s former ambassador to the UN – said the Kremlin was already at war with Europe. He said Russia’s recent drone incursions 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,” Kyslytsya said, adding that the Russian president’s reckless actions risked antagonising a White House that appeared to be cooling on him. “It’s a boomerang thing,” Kyslytsya said.
What Russia does next depends on whether Europe and the Trump administration show collective resolve, he suggested. Without a decisive transatlantic response, Putin would “escalate escalating”, he predicted, with more actions designed to disrupt and paralyse the continent. » | Luke Harding in Kyiv | Saturday, October 4, 2025
