Mykhailo Podolyak in interview with Helsingin Sanomat
When Ukraine reaches its internationally recognized borders, Russia will be ready to sit down at the negotiating table and sign a peace treaty. Mykhailo Podoliakadviser to the head of the president’s office, said this in an interview with the Finnish publication Helsingin Sanomat.
Podolyak said that even at the beginning of the full-scale war, and now there is no possibility of negotiating with Russia, which speaks the language of ultimatums and makes unacceptable demands.
“Putin’s plan is simple. He wants to restore the Soviet Union in one form or another. Ukraine here is its main enemy,” said the adviser to the head of the president’s office.
According to him, the independence of our state contradicts the worldview of the representatives of Russia.
Podolyak said calls for peace talks, which sometimes come from some European capitals, are based on assumptions that were proven wrong in 2008 and 2014.
“If Russia is allowed to win the war, she can dictate her terms to Europe. This leads to the advance of Russia towards Moldova, Georgia, northern Kazakhstan or the Baltic States. Russia will begin to manipulate the internal politics of the European Union, provoking far-left and far-right forces. A chain reaction will begin in the world when other authoritarian states realize that they can achieve their goal with the help of a war of aggression”, declared the adviser to the head of state’s chief of staff.
However, in his opinion, the war between Russia and Ukraine will still end at the negotiating table, but only after the Russian Federation suffers significant tactical losses at the front.
“Russia is only truly ready for peace if it has suffered significant tactical losses. Then he stops giving ultimatums and is forced to listen to other people’s arguments. When Ukraine reaches the borders defined in 1991, Russia will be ready to sit down at the negotiating table and sign a peace treaty. This is the only chance to guarantee the liberal values and the freedom of Europe”, Podolyak is convinced.
According to him, the defeat of Russia will also give freedom of choice to Belarus, which can become a true European democracy.
However, at the moment, as the adviser to the head of the president’s office said, Ukraine is conducting negotiations with the Russian Federation only on prisoners and other tactical issues.
“We are also talking about the defenders of Azovstal, but we are progressing very slowly, because Russia wants to get the maximum amount of propaganda out of them. The Red Cross and the UN are weak in this regard. They should become more active”, he said.
As Podolyak said, in the war in Ukraine, Russia has crossed all permissible limits and must answer for its crimes, because otherwise the entire European security system will lose its authority.
According to the adviser to the head of the president’s office, Ukraine managed to slow down Russia’s advance in the Donbass, although the Russian army carries out 40,000-50,000 rounds of various artillery fire every day.
“The war has entered the fourth stage. Russia brought as many pieces of equipment and people as possible to Ukraine. They are waging an artillery war which they want to continue until winter. he said.
At the same time, as Podolyak said, the Russian Federation is trying to exhaust Europe with a shortage of energy carriers so that it gets tired of helping our country in this war.
The adviser to the head of the president’s office said Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south is progressing.
“We are trying to effectively destroy Russian logistics and command positions. Our aim is to complicate their supply and force them to retreat before the onset of winter,” said Podoliak.
To gain an advantage on the battlefield, Ukraine needs modern weapons, especially air defense systems, for which Ukrainian authorities look to foreign governments.
“The anti-missile potential is very important because Russia is attacking residential areas with cruise missiles”, said the adviser to the head of the president’s office.
In addition to weapons, he said, assistance is needed for Ukraine’s economy, which Russia has tried to destroy by bombing factories, ports and agricultural enterprises.
Furthermore, Podolyak thanked Finland for the assistance provided and expressed hope for Ukraine’s active support on the road to EU membership.
“We have very warm relations with Finland. Finland is one of those countries that understands that we are all in danger if Russia remains the same as it is today,” said the adviser to the head of the president’s office.
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