Ukraine will remember who backed us - foreign minister

Countries that "mistreated Ukraine" volition beryllium held to relationship aft the warfare ends, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned.

In a BBC interrogation helium said the prime each federation made pursuing Russia's full-scale penetration volition beryllium "taken into relationship successful gathering aboriginal relations".

He besides warned delays of Western limb deliveries would outgo Ukrainian lives.

"If 1 transportation is postponed for 1 day, it means that idiosyncratic is going to dice connected the frontline," helium said.

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Kuleba besides discussed however helium believes the warfare volition end, the relation of China successful the war, and his disappointment that Pope Francis has yet to sojourn his state successful warfare time.

Mr Kuleba spoke to the BBC successful Ukraine's imposing, Soviet-era overseas ministry astatine the bosom of Kyiv, present protected by sandbags and equipped guards.

Although Ukraine has received subject and economical enactment from Western powers since Russia's invasion, galore countries successful Africa, Asia and South America person stayed connected the sidelines.

Some are historically sympathetic to Russia, immoderate are acrophobic astir the economical costs of the war, and others judge the West is prolonging the warring unnecessarily.

But Mr Kuleba made wide that countries which failed to enactment Ukraine present - those, helium said, which had "misbehaved successful the people of this warfare and mistreated Ukraine", would wage a terms successful the future.

Ukraine whitethorn good beryllium babelike connected Western assistance and subject enactment successful the mean to agelong word and truthful its diplomatic disapproval whitethorn not interest immoderate countries. But successful peacetime Ukraine's immense atom exports springiness it important economical leverage, peculiarly successful parts of the processing world.

"If anyone successful the satellite thinks that the mode this oregon that state behaved - oregon treated Ukraine astatine the darkest infinitesimal of its past - volition not beryllium taken into relationship successful gathering aboriginal relations, these radical conscionable don't cognize however diplomacy works," helium said.

"War is simply a clip erstwhile you person to marque a choice. And each prime has been recorded."

Mr Kuleba said Western allies were not giving Ukraine subject enactment accelerated capable due to the fact that they had not been acceptable for a struggle connected the aforesaid standard arsenic World War One. And what helium needed was artillery shells.

"We privation partners to enactment faster," helium said. "And if 1 transportation is postponed for 1 day, it means that idiosyncratic is going to dice connected the beforehand line.

"It means that idiosyncratic who could person been inactive live is going to die."

Nowhere has the request for ammunition been greater than successful the eastbound metropolis of Bakhmut wherever Ukrainian forces person been holding retired for much than 7 months against repeated Russian attempts to prehend the city.

This, Mr Kuleba said, was "emotionally precise challenging" due to the fact that of the losses suffered.

But if Bakhmut fell, past different cities would beryllium next: "So successful bid to prevention lives there… we person to combat successful Bakhmut arsenic agelong arsenic we physically can."

There was nary sign, helium said, of Russia being consenting to negociate an extremity to the warring but helium added: "Every warfare ends astatine the negotiating table... But my extremity arsenic a overseas curate is to marque definite that Ukraine reaches the array aft a defining occurrence connected the battlefield."

And that involves gathering the strongest imaginable conjugation of support, an confederation that helium feels does not see the Pope. Mr Kuleba said it was not for him but for God to justice the Holy Father but, helium said: "We profoundly regret that the Pope has not recovered an accidental to sojourn Ukraine since the opening of the war."

China, too, has frankincense acold resisted Ukraine's lobbying for a gathering betwixt China's President Xi Jinping and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, adjacent though China's person is expected to sojourn Moscow shortly.

Mr Kuleba said his president was acceptable for a telephone speech with Mr Xi and added: "I don't deliberation China has reached the infinitesimal now… erstwhile it's acceptable to limb Russia."

As for the United States, immoderate analysts person speculated enactment for Ukraine mightiness trim aft adjacent year's statesmanlike elections. But Mr Kuleba said: "I deliberation we tin past immoderate Republican voice", and insisted "the biggest luxury that Ukraine enjoys successful the United States is the bipartisan enactment successful some Democratic and Republican camps".

As his country's apical diplomat, Dmytro Kuleba remains softly assured Ukraine tin support the backing of the allies that count: the ones which supply tangible support.

And, helium says, Ukraine has 1 important origin connected its side: "Historically, Ukraine was unfairly under-appreciated, and I regret it took a bloodshed and a devastating warfare for the satellite to realise however chill we are.

"And we volition ever beryllium cool. But it conscionable took you excessively overmuch clip to realise that."