Vladimir Putin's goal is not only to seize Ukrainian land but to destroy the "concept" of the country itself, Ukraine's former president Leonid Kuchma has said.
In an interview with The Guardian, Mr Kuchma, who was president of Ukraine between 1994 and 2005, said he always knew the Russian leader was capable of invading Ukraine but waking up to the invasion was still "a shock".
"People say his obsession with Ukraine is a kind of mania or mental disorder. Maybe it's true," he said.
He said Mr Putin showed signs he was looking to expand before the war in Ukraine and pointed to the Russo-Georgian war in 2008 and Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
He said as a result of the world's silence, the Kremlin leader's actions instilled in him the belief "he could do anything because there was no principled response".
Addressing the decision by the US Senate to block a funding bill that included financial aid for Ukraine last week, Mr Kuchma said his country had to hope legislation would get through.
"The US has lost Afghanistan. Defeat for Ukraine means the US loses face before the entire world," he added.
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-russia-war-latest-putin-sky-news-blog-12541713
