We are talking more and more about a possible Russian offensive in the next weeks. There is also this rumor of additional mobilization. Are you afraid of being overwhelmed by the mass of soldiers?
No war has been won by the numbers of soldiers involved. Wars have always been won by the soldiers with the strongest motivation. That of the Ukrainian soldiers is at its highest. Of course, the number of enemy troops deployed raises questions. But rather than a war of attrition, as the Russians are doing, we favor another option: obtaining high-tech military equipment and materials as quickly as possible. Because the victories in this kind of conflict are forged by the quality of the equipment and the motivation of the troops.
The Ukrainian government is calling for fighter jets and long-range missiles. What would you use it for? Some voices fear that the Ukrainians will strike Russian territory and that this will lead to a conflict between Russia and NATO…
Russia scares the whole world by evoking a possible escalation. I remind you that this is the same country, which a year ago intended to take kyiv in three days. I would like all Europeans to realize that Russian propaganda is as dangerous a weapon as its conventional weapons.
Some in the West believe that no negotiations are possible before Russia is driven out of Ukraine. Others believe that the longer the war lasts, the greater the risk of conflict between Russia and NATO. And that the Russians, even defeated, will start again sooner or later. How to end this war?
There are two ways to end a war: on the battlefield or at the negotiating table. Is there a real prospect of talks with the Russian Federation? Why negotiate with a country that does not respect its commitments, starting with the Budapest memorandum, signed in December 1994? And who claims to be waging a war against the military, but targets civilians? This option being impossible, there remains the second: victory on the battlefield. The duration of the war will depend on all of us. After the victory, Ukraine will have to be a State whose security is based on rules. Some countries, which have lived with a hostile neighbor for a very long time, manage to find solutions to live in safety. Putin made the most serious mistake in the history of Russia by attacking Ukraine: it will prevent any good relationship between our two countries for several generations.
Were you reassured, during your visit to France on January 31 and February 1, about France’s commitment alongside Ukraine?
I had reassurances from President Macron, who reaffirmed that France will remain alongside Ukraine. I spoke with him about the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine and I thanked him for France’s leading role on this subject. I also received reassurances that this support would continue.
Are you hopeful of receiving Leclerc tanks and mirages 2000 french ? How could they be useful to Ukraine?
Our goal is to obtain quality and high-tech equipment, so that we can liberate our lands. Ukraine does not seek to conquer new territories, but to liberate its own, within the framework of the borders recognized at the time of the independence of Ukraine.
President Macron told me that France was ready to provide military aid on three conditions: that this aid should not be used to touch Russian soil, that it should not weaken the French army and that it would not lead not an escalation.
Ukraine will respect these conditions, whether it concerns tanks, fighter jets, anti-aircraft systems and long-range missiles. Now it is the Minister of Defence, who was in Paris with me, who will identify the interest and the proper use of the weapons we need, based on the data provided by our staff.
Several senior Ukrainian officials have been implicated in corruption cases. Do you think Ukraine is capable of transforming itself quickly in this area?
It’s not just that she can: she concretely demonstrates that she does! This is perhaps the first time in the thirty-one-year history of independent Ukraine that all state leaders demonstrate “zero tolerance” towards corruption. With the war, the demand from society to fight against corruption is particularly strong. The anti-corruption system now exists in Ukraine and I believe it will soon show results. If you put together the expectations of society, the political will and the anti-corruption infrastructure that has just been created, I think you have a good chance of creating an environment where there will be no no room for corruption.
How did the war enable Ukraine to accelerate its transformation into a modern country?
Any war is a catalyst for change. Social relations evolve, like priorities, because it is the survival of the society, of the country, which is at stake. In view of the resistance and the courage shown by Ukraine, I would say that this war has removed the “rust” that covered the value system of Western societies. We see the reappearance of values such as openness, equality and justice. Values that will remain, because they are forged by the blood of Ukrainian soldiers.
What do you think the country will look like in a few years?
Victory is of course an unconditional prerequisite. In my view, Ukraine will become the place where the most courageous and audacious changes, initiatives and experiments will be implemented, like the courage demonstrated by the Ukrainian military. I am certain that Ukraine can become the America of the 21st century.
Why do you think Ukraine should quickly join the European Union?
First, it was waving the flags of the European Union that young people died in Maidan Square at the time of the revolution in 2014. Second, you will not find activists more motivated than in Ukraine by the idea of joining the EU. Finally, the Ukrainians took up arms to defend their country’s borders. All this should allow Ukraine to find its place in the European family.
What will the Ukrainians be able to bring to the European Union tomorrow? Will she be stronger with them?
I would start by saying that Ukraine is the biggest country in Europe, with fantastic economic potential and prospects; and an extraordinary people, who, being dispersed in all the countries of Europe, dream today of only one thing: to return to Ukraine and rebuild their country. Ukraine will help nourish the soul of the European Union.
What do you think of the possibility, mentioned by the Olympic Committee, that the Russians could participate under a neutral banner in the Olympic Games in Paris?
I want to remind the Olympic committee that the principle of the Olympics is “Faster, higher, stronger – together” – not “Together with the terrorists”. I’m not sure that a country that has already distinguished itself through doping scandals deserves to be accepted into the Olympics. I don’t think Pierre de Coubertin had this conception of the Olympic Games.