Ukraine is the only country in Europe where a citizen presses a button to launch a weapon produced by fellow citizens - sending drones and ballistic missiles hundreds or thousands of kilometers, Polish strategic analyst Piotr Kulpa said. No other European nation possesses this sovereign end-to-end military capability, and it makes Ukraine the continent's sole real military actor.
In an interview with "Hvylya", Kulpa argued that Ukraine's war has produced an extraordinary paradox. The country has paid an enormous price, but in doing so it has acquired genuine sovereignty - something its wealthier, better-positioned allies still lack. "Show me a country in Europe that can do this," Kulpa said. "Ukraine today is a real force that prevents Trump from making a deal."
If Russia were to strike NATO's eastern flank, Kulpa continued, Ukraine's strategic position would actually improve. Kyiv would automatically become "a NATO member in a limited form, a European Union member automatically, and - I would say - a military dictator of Central Europe, because the main competencies and potential would be on Ukraine's side." That scenario is precisely why Moscow insists not on a ceasefire but on a full peace - fearing a Ukrainian strike in any future confrontation.
The analyst drew a sharp contrast with Poland, whose army was built as an auxiliary to US forces and lacks independent long-range strike capability. "Without the United States, this army has no vision and no long-range weapons," Kulpa said. NATO's eastern flank "can only acquire these capabilities from Ukraine - at least drones." Scaling up Ukrainian production, particularly in drones and ballistic missiles, is the key to regional defense.
Kulpa warned, however, that the most tragic outcome would be if a flawed peace deal stripped Ukraine of the sovereignty it earned through war. "Ukraine has acquired sovereignty during this war," he said. "The most tragic thing that could happen is if, as a result of some crooked negotiations and concessions, Ukraine lost this sovereignty, won - as the poet says - in a time of fear."
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