Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine: Ukraine would not accept any solution that would seem as a capitulation or a treason as it has paid too high a price

Press release, 29 May 2022

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly continues its work. Oleksey Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, addressed members of the Defence and Security Committee. Having detailed the complicated situation in his country and the successes and losses of Ukraine, the Minister once again highlighted the enormous need for weapons: ‘We need defence systems, drones, armoured vehicles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, and we need them fast.’

Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas

According to Mr Reznikov, his colleagues defence ministers supported various initiatives, but they had to be coordinated with finance ministers or other institutions. This has led to slow decision-making. ‘It is necessary to simplify and speed up these procedures,’ said Mr Reznikov. ‘We also propose that measures are taken by our partners for the short, medium and long terms. These should be […] programmes for Ukraine, which will not only strengthen the interoperability between your and our armed forces, but also ensure a better technical supply for our forces.’

The Minister of Defence stressed that although Ukraine faced major challenges, unfortunately not all were aware of the scope of aggression: ‘We must understand that this is a war not against the Ukrainian state, it is a war against values and the way of life. Russia’s goal is to destroy freedom while discrediting the EU and NATO. The current Russian President believes the collapse of the USSR to have been the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. Not everybody has understood the essence of Russia’s goals though. Russia believes that it must defeat the free world after the loss in the cold war.’

According to Mr Reznikov, to achieve its goals, Russia resorts to blackmailing and sees any concessions as a sign of weakness. Russia uses energy as a tool for blackmail. ‘Russia has learned to buy European politicians and former civil servants.’ Russia is blocking Ukrainian ports and navigation in the Black Sea, which may lead to a huge food crisis around the world. Therefore, the Minister stressed, it is in the interests of the entire civilised world to defeat the aggressor.

Mr Reznikov mentioned the voices that essentially call on Ukraine to send parts of its territory to Russia to appease the Kremlin: ‘That is nonsense. There is no better way to encourage the Kremlin to escalate the conflict than to satisfy its demands. The experience of the last 20 years is proof enough of that. It is time to learn the lesson. Every time our concessions to the Kremlin will be broadcast to our public in a way to completely disorient it. I call on you to take on a leadership role in conquering this propaganda. It should be acknowledged that the Ukrainian nation would not accept any solution that would seem as a capitulation or a treason. We have paid too high a price. Therefore, the only way to stop the war is to send a clear signal to Moscow that the free world would accept only one scenario: the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within the internationally recognised borders. That would mean that we obey the rule of law, instead of violent intimidation.’

Photos are published on the Seimas Flickr account. They are free for use provided they bear the following indication of the source: Photo by Olga Posaškova or Džoja Gunda Barysaitė, Office of the Seimas.

Jolanta Anskaitienė, Adviser, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6508, e-mail: [email protected]