The chief of staff of the Ukrainian Presidency, Andriy Yermak, assured this Tuesday in a videoconference appearance in the European Parliament that his country only contemplates a victory over Russia that includes the recovery of 100% of its territory.
“We do not have any scenario of what victory will look like that does not include the recovery of 100% of Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty within internationally recognizable borders,” Yermak said during a joint session of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defense of the Eurocámara.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is evidence that the existing general security architecture, which is built on the United Nations Charter, is not capable of guaranteeing security,” he said.
Yermak made it clear that the report prepared together with former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on security guarantees for his country does not replace Ukraine’s ambitions to join the Atlantic Alliance and be covered by article 5 on collective defense.
The Ukrainian Presidency presented in September the draft recommendations prepared together with Rasmussen on security guarantees for Ukraine with the participation of the West, which mean more weapons for Ukraine and more sanctions against Russia.
“Although it is not a member (of NATO), Ukraine contributes a lot to Euro-Atlantic security,” Yermak stressed, referring to the fact that the Ukrainians are paying “the highest price” to stop Russia’s advance towards what could be a “continental domination”.
Therefore, he stated that “supporting Ukraine now is investing in its current security, but granting Ukraine (NATO) membership is investing in its future security.”
To meet kyiv’s demand for weapons from the West, top adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, urged the EU to boost its defense industry and allow Ukrainian companies to join in that drive.
Yermak also asked the European Union to extend its sanctions against Moscow and, specifically, more restrictive measures against Russian propaganda, since in his opinion it is so “effective” inside Russia that it prevents anti-war protests from breaking out.
For his part, Rasmussen praised the “historic” decisions of Ukraine’s partners to grant it weapons with which to defend itself against the Russian invasion, but warned that “the war is far from over” and warned that “instead of anticipate a spring offensive, we should prepare for an imminent one.”
Thus, he urged a “constant” assessment of Ukraine’s needs and not to go “one step behind”, which in his opinion has allowed Russia to move forward. “You have to surprise and overwhelm your enemy,” she said.
Likewise, the former Danish prime minister pointed out that the objective is for Ukraine “to be able to defend itself”, for which it needs to “maintain a strong Army, capable of dissuading and defeating Russia on the battlefield”.
“This will only be possible through a sustained commitment and over several decades from Ukraine’s allies,” he said. “What weapons does Ukraine need? All of them,” she concluded.
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