interview<\/a> with Cormac Smith, strategic communications adviser and hybrid warfare specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2014 My name is Cormac Smith, and I regard myself as a friend of Ukraine. Between 2016 and 2018, I lived in Kyiv as a British diplomat. I was embedded in Ukraine\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where I served as Special Communications Adviser to Pavlo Klimkin, who was Foreign Minister at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That two-year period brought my education to an entirely new level\u2014about Ukraine, about Russia, and about the toxic threat Russia poses not only to Ukraine but to peace across Europe. It was also a period when I fell in love with your country. I made friends for life, and Ukraine stole a piece of my heart and never gave it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I always tell journalists and producers that if they are looking for an objective commentator, they should not interview me. I will tell the truth, but I am 100 percent on Ukraine\u2019s side, because what is happening now truly matters\u2014not only to Ukraine, but to all of us. People still do not fully understand this. Apologies, that was a bit of a ramble, but that is who I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Since you became closely acquainted with Ukraine, you also had the chance to become closely acquainted with Russia. There is a very popular hashtag that has circulated on social media since 2022\u20132023: \u201cRussia is not your enemy.\u201d What would you say to viewers watching us now? What do people around the world most misunderstand about Russia?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2014 Russia is<\/em> your enemy\u2014especially if you are European. And when I say Europe, I mean as far west as the west coast of Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLook at what is happening in Ukraine. Entire cities have been wiped off the map in a completely illegal and unprovoked invasion. I spoke this morning with a Ukrainian diplomat friend in The Hague. The number of identified war crimes now stands at almost 210,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of these crimes involve torture, sexual violence, and murder\u2014acts of extraordinary cruelty. If you study Russia as I have since 2016, particularly Russian propaganda, you see that the Kremlin tells its own population every single day that Europe is the enemy and that Europe is in decline. Russians are told it is Russia\u2019s duty to \u201csave\u201d Europe from itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research conducted in 2017\u20132018 by the Ukraine Crisis Media Center together with the Estonian Centre for Eastern Partnership showed this very clearly. It taught me a great deal about Russia\u2019s intentions. Alongside Ukrainian diplomats, I came to understand early on that Russia was preparing for war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nA close friend told me in 2016, \u201cPutin wants Ukraine without Ukrainians.\u201d I did not fully believe him then. I do now.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Putin has repeatedly said that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the twentieth century. Greater than World War I. Greater than the Holodomor, when Stalin murdered millions of Ukrainians. Greater than the Holocaust. Greater than World War II. That tells you everything. The Soviet Union was nothing more than a Russian empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 You mentioned Russia\u2019s narrative that Europe is evil. We now hear similar rhetoric echoed by influential figures\u2014for example, Elon Musk claiming Europe is a \u201cprison of nations.\u201d Is this Russian disinformation at work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2014 With people like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, this is not just disinformation. Yes, they absorb Russian propaganda willingly, but more importantly, their interests increasingly align with Russian objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We saw this when JD Vance addressed the Munich Security Conference and attacked European leaders over free speech. Instead of meeting European leaders afterward, he met with the leadership of the far-right Alternative for Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new U.S. National Security Strategy outlines a vision of a world led by the United States, China, and Russia, with possible inclusion of India and Japan. Europe is absent from this vision. It speaks openly about working with so-called \u201cpatriotic parties\u201d\u2014that is, far-right movements such as Reform UK, AfD, Orb\u00e1n in Hungary, and Marine Le Pen in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe message is simple: if Europeans are not at the table, they are on the menu.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Regarding plans by the UK and France to deploy peacekeepers, the UK says it will not act without coordination with Washington. What does the UK realistically need from the United States?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2014 Europe should be able to stand on its own feet, but that takes time. Russia produces around three million artillery shells per year. Europe is nowhere near that level yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The one area we cannot replace is American military intelligence. When intelligence support was briefly withdrawn last year, the consequences for Ukraine were severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United States no longer gives weapons directly to Ukraine\u2014it sells them to Europe, which then transfers them\u2014but it still provides crucial intelligence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nKeeping the U.S. engaged is essential.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
That is why announcements about British or French troops miss the point. The real strategy has been European leaders working with Ukraine to keep Donald Trump involved. If we can produce a peace proposal backed by Europe and the United States\u2014one that Ukraine can live with\u2014then Russia will refuse, because it has no appetite for peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There will be no perfectly just settlement. There will be a freezing of the conflict along current lines. It will be imperfect. But if America stays engaged, pressure on Russia can increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Do you believe Trump will ultimately pressure Putin rather than President Zelenskyy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2014 I cannot answer that. I hope so, but I am not optimistic. There are signs\u2014such as the seizure of oil tankers and actions involving Venezuela\u2014that may have unsettled Russia. But I still have serious questions about what was discussed between Trump and Putin during their meeting in Anchorage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Lindsey Graham reported that Trump approved sanctions targeting countries trading Russian oil. How important is this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2014 It will be critical if it actually happens. Russia is a gas station with nuclear weapons. Oil funds its war machine. Sanctions that truly restrict oil revenues will hurt Russia badly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I spoke last night with a senior Ukrainian diplomat who told me, \u201cRussia will break. We just need to keep the pressure on.\u201d We do not know when that will happen, but pressure is the only path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If our leaders had even a fraction of the courage of ordinary Ukrainians, this war would have ended long ago. These sanctions could be decisive. I will believe it when I see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 What is the single most important thing Europeans\u2014especially in the UK\u2014misunderstand about Ukraine today?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2014 Many people still underestimate Russian disinformation. Too many repeat the lie that NATO \u201cprovoked\u201d Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More importantly, many Britons do not understand how similar Ukrainians are to us\u2014how deeply our futures are intertwined. Ukrainians are our brothers and sisters, and our brothers and sisters in arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Young Ukrainians understand the cost of freedom. Many young people in the UK take freedom for granted. Only 11 percent of British people aged 16 to 25 say they would fight for their country. That gap in understanding is dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBritain has done much right. The British people have shown extraordinary solidarity. But we are not winning the information war.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
In democracies, public understanding matters. Governments need to explain clearly why Ukraine matters: because genocide is happening in Europe today, and because Putin will not stop in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if tanks never reach London, Russia\u2019s war already has. We need credible, non-partisan voices explaining this reality to the public. We have a lot of work to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n