According to Foreign Ministry Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov, Europe must take a decisive role in supporting Ukraine in light of criticism coming from the United States.
According to Vseviov, the situation in Ukraine is difficult because people's hope that the war will one day end is under constant attack.
"The longer the war has gone on, the harder it has become for both sides fighting it. The same applies to those supporting the warring parties and we feel all of this here in Europe as well. The burden keeps growing. Fortunately, the same is true in Russia because the frantic activity we are seeing there is nothing more than a sign of desperation. But things are also difficult for Ukrainians, not only because Russia is deliberately destroying civilian infrastructure, as it has been doing for years, but because their hope that the light at the end of the tunnel will one day become a reality and that they will be able to live normal European lives is under constant attack," Vseviov said.
According to the secretary general, however, the news coming out of the United States offers little additional hope. For Europeans, this means they must take matters into their own hands and support Ukraine, because ultimately it is not just Ukraine's fate that is being decided there, but Europe's as well.
Conflicting information has emerged from the U.S. and no one knows for certain or is willing to say who restricted Starlink connectivity. There are also conflicting reports about whether intelligence sharing has been suspended.
"What I can say about technology is that if we cannot be certain we will be able to use it with 100 percent reliability at the most critical moment, then we clearly cannot trust it. That does not mean we should not use the technology — we certainly can, but we cannot rely on it. Now, are these various reports true or is there genuinely conflicting information? I trust what the Ukrainians say most because they are the ones using the technology directly. When I last checked, just before coming into the studio, it appeared there were indeed some disruptions, but there did not seem to have been a complete shutdown. The truth is probably somewhere in between," Vseviov said.
According to Vseviov, the more important question is whether the United States can be counted on to use its power to support the victim against the aggressor.
"It seems the answer is unequivocal — no, it cannot. Hopefully, the U.S. will not side with the aggressor against the victim, but clearly, at present, it is not supporting the victim. We in Europe must therefore fill the gaps," the secretary general said.
"I would point out that when legislation concerning Russian aggression has been discussed in the U.S. Congress, support for Ukraine has been overwhelming and bipartisan. The butcher Putin is not popular among the American people. Of course, elections are approaching in America and all politicians must take public opinion into account. There are few situations in international affairs and politics today that are as black and white as Russia's aggression against Ukraine. There is a clear aggressor and a clear victim, a clear tyrant and a clear free society. Such things matter in the United States and they matter to ordinary people on the street who may not follow foreign policy on a daily basis. Of course, domestic issues ultimately determine election outcomes, but people's desire to be on the right side of history is also a decisive factor," Vseviov explained.
"Throughout its history, America has contributed to addressing various problems around the world partly because it wants to be on the right side of history. I think that ultimately, as Winston Churchill famously said, the United States will make all the right choices," Vseviov added.
The question, however, is when those right choices will be made because this is a matter of practical policy with real stakes and its success is measured not only in abstract or intangible terms but also in human lives every single day, the secretary general said.
Vseviov believes that the money Ukraine needs to defend itself and keep the country running ahead of a difficult winter will probably be found.
"But money is not the main issue. If I were to single out two of the most important things to add, the first would naturally be to prevent the situation from being made worse. By this, we mean above all the need to support Ukraine if it rejects any 21st-century deals resembling Munich or Yalta. Just recently, Putin proposed that three presidents — Putin himself, Trump and Xi Jinping — could meet to discuss the Ukraine question. We know that when Putin puts the Ukraine question on the table, he is putting not only Ukraine but all of Europe on the table as well. So, first, we must prevent things from getting worse and, second, we must ensure that Ukrainians have hope and a future. One thing that is clearly in Europe's hands is the European Union's enlargement process. This must be based entirely on facts and Ukraine's progress and we must maintain high standards for Ukraine," the secretary general said.
"However, while maintaining those high standards, we must also ensure that the process moves forward. I would say these two things are at least as important as money. And, of course, we must continue putting pressure on Russia," Vseviov added.
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