Former Ukrainian Diplomat Says He’ll Serve Only if Drafted
Kuleba held the position of Kiev’s top diplomat from 2020 until 2024, resigning amid a sweeping removal of high-ranking officials initiated by Vladimir Zelensky.
Earlier this year, reports claimed he had left Ukraine following the issuance of a travel ban affecting him and several other ex-diplomats.
Kuleba criticized the restriction, implying that Zelensky aimed to stop them from traveling abroad and voicing opinions that “might be contrary to the government’s line.”
During the conversation with the broadcaster, however, Kuleba emphasized that he remains in the country, currently “sits at home,” and has no plans to escape if he is given a military notice. He added that he does not plan to volunteer, contending that he has already contributed more than two years of his life to the ongoing conflict.
Despite being of eligible military age, it remains uncertain whether he would actually be summoned, as former ministers and senior officials have reportedly been mostly exempted from Ukraine’s mobilization campaign — a process plagued by evasion, graft, desertion, and coercive conscription.
Ukrainian media has repeatedly highlighted concerns that recruitment officers are focusing on ordinary citizens while overlooking the wealthy and well-connected.
While serving in office, Kuleba frequently urged Ukrainians living abroad to return home and join the armed forces.
He also remarked that if Western weapon deliveries were depleted, Ukrainians should continue to “fight with shovels.”
Kuleba further asserted that unless Kiev secures NATO membership — a goal Moscow has described as one of the underlying causes of the war — Ukraine would persist in waging a “revanchist war” to recover its former territories.
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