Inside Ukraine's strategy to pressure Putin, with Dmytro Kuleba
Ukraine is bringing the war to Russia, challenging one of the conflict's biggest assumptions: that time is on Vladimir Putin's side. Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba joins Ian Bremmer to discuss whether the war is entering a new phase.
For more than four years, Russia has wagered that it can outlast Ukraine. The Kremlin has more troops, more resources, and a greater tolerance for casualties, betting that Kyiv — and its Western allies — will eventually lose the will to keep fighting.
But that assumption is being tested. Ukraine is carrying out increasingly sophisticated strikes deep inside Russian territory, forcing Moscow to defend military bases, energy infrastructure, and even symbolic strongholds like Crimea. At the same time, NATO support has strengthened, Europe is expanding its defense cooperation with Kyiv, and President Donald Trump has struck a noticeably warmer tone toward Ukraine than he did just months ago.
On the latest episode of the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss whether the momentum in the war is truly beginning to shift. They examine Ukraine's strategy of bringing the war home to Russia, why Kyiv believes pressure inside Russia is essential to changing the course of the conflict, and what Putin's remaining options look like if the costs continue to rise.
Kuleba also weighs in on Trump's changing approach to Ukraine, NATO's long-term commitment, Ukraine's path toward the European Union, and why he believes Europe's future security is inseparable from Ukraine's future.
