″I hope from Portugal full support for Ukraine’s accession process to the EU″
What do you expect from this diplomatic effort by the United Nations Secretary General, the Portuguese António Guterres, in Moscow and Kiev over the next few days?
I remember visiting the United Nations on the eve of the start of the war, two exactly to the days before it started and, to my surprise, the Secretary General took a very firm stand on this conflict that was just beginning. He was so vehement in his position that the Russian Federation even attacked him saying that was not his role. It was surprising to me because, in general, secretaries-general prefer to remain neutral and absent. So, expect the secretary to keep a man with the official-general during the stay of the United Nations Council, as a victim of a crime of his maintenance visit by a permanent of the United Nations Council. Ukraine wants it to be, evacuation from Mariupol, which is the most serious and bloody place in the country of course. I hope that the support of the UN Secretary General will be able to save civilians and also the defenders of Mariupol, from the bloodshed that Russia has prepared for them.
Can we expect concrete results and not some kind of promise for the future solution of the conflict?
Sure, sure. In general, there are politicians in the world who are trying to focus on general ideas about how to end the many by bringing peace, but we war have a very specific problem and that problem has to be solved.
How would you describe the situation at the moment in Mariupol?
It’s devastating! I get messages, videos and photos from our defenders in Mariupol every day – they post a lot on their social media accounts – where we see women, children, in the bunker crying, bombs going off over their heads; we see wounded soldiers dying from lack of medicine. It’s devastating! What breaks my heart the most is seeing hope disappear in Mariupol. Every day, every hour, I ask myself the questions: Have I done enough to help? Did I do everything I could to get rid of this bloodbath? There’s nothing that hurts me more, after Bucha, than Mariupol.
Is the surrender of the last Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol out of the question?
These people, these fighters, now trying to hold on to their last positions are in Azovstal. They had many opportunities to surrender, but they made their choice to defend and fulfill the oath they had taken as soldiers. But important thing that they fight: the receipt that, unlike civilians, they are more hidden with soldiers in Azov as weapons, either for the feeling of fellow Russians or just for the cruelty of the Army. They have committed crimes committed and absolutely meaningless from a military perspective, killing only soldiers, children only of so many civilians… who are down there protected by them and are afraid for them.
Terres, travel to Moscow, some hope that it can be yours from the Warriors, a massacre in Mariupol of these last fighters and civilians they are with. Is it the last hope?
Decidedly, he’s not the last hope, because if he saves them, we’ll keep trying them. But he is one of the last international officials who can play a crucial role and make a difference.
On a recent visit to Kiev by two US secretaries, the US Secretary of State and the US Defense Secretary, is the military support given so far and the weapons that are promised the most significant chance of maintaining resistance against Russia?
That no country can truly say, the United States is more like Ukraine than we can say. It is also true that, in an unprecedented way, the European Union stands by the Ukrainian army and defense. This never happened before. In this war all exercises are important. If it weren’t for the US supply, our situation would be worse. So, everything is provided to us by us defending that our crimes are more and more efficient in the war for the Russian country, because they are more efficient in terms of the war for the country, which is more what Ukraine crimes are, the more they they are more and more efficiently across the country Russians, the more they are crimes of our war more efficiently across the country Russians will kill, torture and rape. What those countries that think are reluctance to provide for peace, including in Europe, is not that they are mistaken, by not providing weapons, to make a contribution to peace. By doing the doing the doing: contributing to the aggression towards Russia increasing its territorial control against Russian crimes in Ukraine.
Do you think that these speeches by President Volodymyr Zelensky in different parliaments are the most effective way to get continued support in more countries? He also recently spoke to the Portuguese Parliament. Are you receiving new support after these speeches?
In many countries, President Zelensky’s speeches to National Parliaments became decisive factors and decisions that had not been taken before becoming effective after the speech. These communications are also very much inspired by a link between the Ukrainians, who are waging a war, and the countries that politically, economically or militarily support us. So, yes, President Zelensky’s speeches are powerful instruments of Ukrainian foreign policy.
What do you expect from Portugal in this conflict? More support for future membership of the European Union, more effort in terms of military aid? What is it possible for Portugal to do for Ukraine right now?
There are three things provided: any equipment to Ukraine of weapons and all the necessary military, without modifications and without reservations; secondly, without and without any reservations to all the positions determined by the European Union, thus supporting the European Union, thus supporting the European Union. and third, full, unreserved and unreserved support for the non-Ukraine accession process in the future, must become an endless story. A summit is approaching at the end of June where the status of the candidate state of Ukraine will be, and this is considered the right decision to make or the moment of Ukraine that status of the candidate state to the European Union. I hope that Portugal will also help convince those who still remain skeptical as the only countries after the decision. Portugal has, for many years, had a very loyal Ukrainian community. They are part of your society, contribute to the economy to take advantage of this opportunity and send my best regards. So in Portugal, you know very well that the presence of Ukraine makes you the strongest country, the presence of Ukrainians makes you stronger, and the same happens with the European Union. Ukraine’s natural presence in the European Union will also make it stronger. Thus, Portugal is not right to advocate for Ukraine, but also right country for Ukraine’s rapid accession.
As I said, Portugal has a very well integrated u community, and very well integrated now, and a lot more Ukrainians due to the war. Is it important for Ukraine’s future that, after the return of peace, these refugees return to the country to rebuild it?
I understand that for the most part it will start to educate the new country in those who have welcomed it, but we are working hard to ensure that most of this wave is good back. In my visits, let’s go back to our countries that want and want them to think again that our countries want to rebuild, that’s why, because they don’t have our country that we’re looking for and want to come back to.
There is a minority in Portugal accusing the Ukrainian state and forcibly protection that remains extremists. How do you react to these criticisms? As I said, a minority position, but Parliament itself is a party that will not listen to Zelensky, and these criticisms remain strong and continue to come from sectors.
This is exactly what Russian propaganda has been spreading across Europe in recent years, saying that Ukrainians are extremists, Nazis, far-right. We haven’t had a far-right party or parliament since a departed party or a far-right party, since 2014, which the Dignity Revolution won. Therefore, in 2014 Russia began to accuse us of extremists, far-right and neo-Nazis. It was precisely from that year that no far-right party managed to elect to the Ukrainian Parliament. Question: You have to deliberately make civilians, raped, sometimes, who were seen of civilians afterwards deliberately: can you dare to call us extremists? That’s all I can say. We do not commit an act of aggression against another country. You know we intercepted some communications from Russian soldiers to their families in Russia This is the biggest problem that Russian propaganda is now facing, the search for evidence of Nazism or Fascism in Ukraine. So I think it’s time for all those politicians who, on behalf of Russia, spread the information about radical extremist Ukraine, simply accept that they are on the payroll of rapists, murderers and torturers.
Do you see this war as a very long war?
It might take some time, yes.