Tymoshenko at ntv
“For us there is only victory on the battlefield”
6/27/2022, 9:28 p.m
The sanctions are good and important – but Ukraine needs heavy weapons. Kyiv’s former prime minister, Tymoshenko, currently sees no way to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Because Russian President Putin wants to destroy Ukraine. That is why a military victory is needed.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko welcomes the new G7 sanctions announced against Russia. “We are very grateful to Germany and the other countries for agreeing on new sanctions,” she told ntv. The sanctions would help weaken Russia, but the only way to end the war in the end would be to supply heavy weapons. “Heavy weapons will help not only to end the war, but also to make Ukraine victorious as soon as possible.”
Tymoshenko lost out to Volodymyr Selsenkyj in the 2019 presidential election and was eliminated in the first ballot. But now she emphasizes that there are currently no domestic political camps, but that everyone is acting as one. “I supported Zelenskyy with all my might. We all have only one goal – to stop Putin,” she continued. She currently believes that a diplomatic and peaceful solution is out of the question. Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to destroy all of Ukraine and kill all of the Ukrainian people.”
Her country will never agree to Russia’s proposal to annex the occupied territories and to virtually disband the Ukrainian army. “They want us to bury our culture,” said the 61-year-old. “Lots of Ukrainians are killed every day – we will never forgive and never forget that.” Russia’s proposals would also not lead to an end to the war, but to a prolongation. “There is only one way for us – victory on the battlefield.”
“The World Is Facing World War III”
For Tymoshenko, the war in her homeland is not a conflict between Ukraine and Russia, but a war of the entire free world against Russia. “The whole world is facing World War III. We are fighting this war and we are ready to end it on our territory if we get the help to do so.”
A lot of help has already come from Germany, said Tymoshenko, praising the role of Chancellor Olaf Scholz so far. “Ukrainians are very grateful to the Chancellor and the German people for the fact that Germany was able to change its relationship with Russia.” Germany has introduced some of the strongest sanctions against Russia, supports Ukraine financially and takes in many Ukrainian refugees. Ukrainians would appreciate all of that. She would also see clearly that Germany would suffer from economic and social problems as a result of the war. “The faster the war ends, the faster these problems will be solved,” she said.