Ukraine Russia News: Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, welcomed news of talks with Russia as a possible way to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but said her country is “not ready to surrender.”
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Markarova said that in response to the news that Ukraine has agreed to meet with Russian negotiators at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, Ukraine’s focus has always been on using diplomacy to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“Our president was always interested in—always focused on the diplomatic solution from the beginning, even before the war started,” Markarova added. Even after the war started, “he kept calling for peace talks,” she explained. But he always said, “We’re ready for peace talks, but we’re not ready to surrender.”
Markarova also urged the West to provide greater military aid to Ukraine’s military and urged the United States and its allies to impose more sanctions on Russia. Markarova also urged US corporations to consider selling their stakes in Russian industries and financial institutions.
We are grateful for everything that has been provided so far and will be provided in the future, but we still require more because we are defending our country against a formidable foe. “We also need more sanctions, and we need Russia to understand and feel that attacking another country, a sovereign country, without cause is not acceptable in the twenty-first century,” Markarova said.
“I’d also like to make use of this occasion to contact American companies,” Markarova added. “I believe it is time to think about preserving reputations and not cooperating with a regime that will end up in The Hague for everything they’ve done and are doing now to Ukraine,” she said, referring to the International Court of Justice, which hears allegations of war crimes.
The White House, along with the European Commission and other allies, announced on Saturday their intention to expel some Russian banks from the international banking network SWIFT and to impose severe sanctions on the Russian Central Bank.
Markarvoa also provided an update on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s safety, stating that he is “as safe as our country.”
“He is as safe as our country,” Markarova said, “and that is why he chose to stay in Kyiv, to stay in Ukraine, and to lead the country in this very difficult time.”
Source: CNN
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