Former Ukrainian president says the Vladimir Putin he once dealt with 'no longer exists' and urges the world to stay united against him

• Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko wrote an op-ed outlining a path to victory for Ukraine.
• In the article, he wrote that the Vladimir Putin he dealt with while president "no longer exists."

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who led the country from 2005 to 2010, has outlined a three-pronged approach that he believes would help defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin in the countries' war.

In an op-ed article for The Guardian published Sunday, Yushchenko said Ukraine faced a "savage army" led by someone whom he once had a personal history with but who had since morphed into a dictator.

"My own history with Putin goes back to 2000 when we were both prime ministers of our respective countries. It was only when I ran to be president of Ukraine in 2004 that he actively campaigned against me," Yushchenko wrote.

"The extreme lengths he was willing to go to in order to get what he wanted became clear. I could not allow this to deter me; after I won, I realized that I needed to try to keep a workable relationship with him as the leader of our neighbor in the east," he wrote.

"But the Putin I dealt with then no longer exists. He has since become a completely isolated and brutal despot who cannot stand any opposition," he added.

Yushchenko said one thing that "really bothers" Putin was "international solidarity and support."

He wrote that for Ukraine to succeed in its defense against Russia, there must not be fatigue in the global community toward "the horrors of war." He said keeping global attention on Ukraine would help keep up morale in the country — something he described as particularly important with the Russian military thought to be regrouping.

Yushchenko added that a second prong involved continued weapons and military assistance.

"Our army continues to need weapons and military assistance from all our allies," he wrote. "And we need monetary assistance to help us plug the holes that this war is blowing in our previously strong economy."

A third prong concerns the way civil societies could continue helping Ukrainian forces obtain "non-lethal supplies" and protective equipment.

"I strongly believe that victory for Ukraine is inevitable," Yushchenko wrote. "When ordinary Ukrainians give everything up to fight for their freedom and dignity, victory is the only option."