At a time when Europe commemorate the 80 years of the end of World war II and Russia the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany, the Ukraine ambassador to Chile, Yurii Diudin spoke with The third On the meaning of this date and, in addition, on the prospects of a peace agreement in the Russian War
What is the meaning that the commemoration of the 80 years of the end of World War II has for Ukraine?
In the Soviet past we always had on May 9 that in the Soviet Union it was the official day of the great victory. But since we began to go on the European road, we get together the European nations and begin to commemorate May 8 as the day of victory over Nazism in Europe and the day of the end of World War II in Europe. This day has great meaning because Ukraine lost almost 8 million of its inhabitants between soldiers and civilians, because the country was occupied. The front line passed through Ukraine twice from west to the east and east, to the west and left many wounds in all the families that lost someone. So it is a great meaning today. It was not a victory only by Russia as Putin tried to show him now with Friday’s parade in Moscow, it was the victory of all members of the Antihitlerian coalition, in which Ukraine actively participated.
There is fear now that Russia can expand not only its influence, but to extend more to the west, do you think that is possible?
Russia is trying to expand. It was one of the countries of the antihitlerian coalition and now it is the opposite. Russia now symbolizes what Nazism represented 80 years ago in Europe, because it was now Russia who attacked Ukraine. It was Russia who is threatening other countries such as the Baltic, the countries of Europe in the center and does so by threatening the use of nuclear weapons, with conventional weapons, and so on. It is a country that is promoting a war, it is a country that is attacking other countries and is really trying to expand and in Friday’s parade in the Red Square, the winners of World War II are not parading, but surely they will be the soldiers who have participated in the war against Ukraine, who killed the civilians in Bucha, Irpin and can go through the Red Square as winners of the Second War. They have nothing to do with today’s Russia with the victory of the Soviet Union and allies against Hitler and against the Nazis 80 years ago.
The Parliament of Ukraine approved an agreement with the United States, how do you evaluate this?
It is an agreement that is really very important for the two countries. As you know, there were several versions of this project. The first versions they proposed were quite disadvantageous for Ukraine, but after almost two months of equipment negotiations an agreement was reached that is advantageous for Ukraine. Because it foresees the creation of a Ukraine Reconstruction Fund, where 50% will belong to the US part, 50% to Ukraine, and this fund will be filled on the side of the Americans can be with money or with armament supplies. And by the Ukrainian part, future exploration licenses. Not those that are ongoing mineral exploration. Then this fund will be filled with these two sources and then will be applied for the reconstruction of Ukraine, for reconstruction projects. It is advantageous for the United States because North American companies come or will come to explore minerals in Ukraine and is advantageous for both parties.
President Trump in the former as drafts, said that this was also going to give him a security guarantee for Ukraine because companies were going to be there, how do you see this?
Here we do not agree with that, because we have really seen that North American companies working at the Black Sea in 2014 and that did not prevent Russia from invading Crimea. Then, in 2022, there were also US companies working. That was not a factor that stopped Putin to attack Ukraine. On the one hand, we can say that the presence alone of North American companies, not only in Ukraine, in Africa, in other countries, is not always a sufficient guarantee. Okay, because they are protected by their state, but it is not enough for us. The safer guarantees would be NATO adhesion. If it cannot be at this time, it could be a security agreement similar to article five of the NATO Treaty. That would be the guarantee of security or the presence of European troops in the Ukrainian soil could also be a security guarantee.
What is the current state of those of the negotiations, there is any perspective of a peace agreement?
On March 11 at the meeting in Saudi Arabia between Ukraine and the United States, we were proposed to make a full 30 -day truce by land, air and sea. And we agree with this proposal, but Putin on the next day said no, that it has to be only by sea and against energy objectives and with many additional conditions. He did not say not directly to Trump, but put many conditions and Ukraine accepted it unconditionally. And in those two months that passed we have seen many maneuvers by Russia. And the idea that Putin is deceiving him is already arriving at Trump, that Ukraine is genuinely wanting peace. Even now, when Putin proposed that three -day truce, President Zelensky said to the next day that we would make a full 90 -day truce and start on that same day, not from March 8. Not only to defend the military parade in the Red Square. And Russia does not respond. That is, the ball is on the side of Russia. The United States and Ukraine are ready for a 90 -day truce, 30 days, 90 days. A total truce. Russia does not accept it.
And the idea of carrying troops from European countries forces once signed a truce was also signed, what happened to that initiative?
There was a lot of talk about that and first of all, they will not be the UN Peace Forces, because that has to go through the Security Council and Russia will always veto it. There is talk of European forces or international forces, a security contingent and is discussed where it could be installed or throughout the front line or in some strategic centers to protect, for example, critical objectives such as nuclear centrals, such as dams, etc. That is under discussion between France, the United Kingdom or Germany, when Chancellor Friedrich Merz also joins this initiative. Meetings are held in Paris, in London, in Berlin, every day, and that coalition is called the coalition of wishes, of the volunteers who want to help Ukraine. It is defining how and where to move these troops and what functions they will have. But yes, I repeat, it could be a security guarantee if those troops are installed in Ukraine in certain places, as long as we reach a ceasefire, as long as we have a truce after that.
What is the situation in the front?
Putin declared a truce, a unilateral fire from zero hours of March 8. We have been reading the reports that there were 730 attacks from the beginning of the morning at all points of the front. There were no drones, but air attacks against Ukrainian cities as in the previous nights. That means that in general it is not fulfilling that truce because there are really the fighting in the field, there are artillery, guided bombs, Ukrainian positions continue and I have the statistics that clearly show that this cessation of unilateral fire is not being fulfilled.
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