Ukrainetalk at Illner
Klitschko: “We defend each of you”
By Marko Schlichting
April 12, 2024, 5:13 a.m
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Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko has urgently asked the West for help for Ukraine. In the evening on the ZDF talk show Maybrit Illner he said that Ukraine needed ammunition, but also economic aid.
The situation in Ukraine is precarious. Weapons deliveries from the West are not coming, and a $60 billion aid package from the USA is stuck in the House of Representatives. A vote on this failed due to right-wing Republicans. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also spoken out. Without further US aid, his country would lose the war, he warned. Because there is a threat of a major Russian offensive. SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert doesn’t want to think about any horror scenarios. “Our job is to do everything we can every day to ensure that these scenarios do not occur,” he said that evening on the ZDF talk show Maybrit Illner. There the guests discuss how a Russian victory in Ukraine can be prevented.
Left-wing politician Dietmar Bartsch is sure that diplomatic means will be used. “The bombing must stop and diplomacy must not become a dirty word,” he demands. Similar to his party colleague Gregor Gysi, he also demands “that there be a ceasefire as quickly as possible, which is the beginning of talks.” But Europe cannot negotiate about this. States like the USA, China, India or the Brics states would have to do that.
Rethinking needed in Europe
“We are experiencing the war at a very clear low point,” says ZDF correspondent Katrin Eigendorf. Above all, the humanitarian situation on the ground is catastrophic. But: “I don’t see that Russia will now conquer Ukraine in a few quick moves and Ukraine will lose the war.” She calls for a rethink in European politics. The price that Russian President Vladimir Putin is paying for this war must be high. Putin should no longer be able to wage such wars in the future. That is why Eigendorf is calling for a European security structure, independent of the USA. “Otherwise we make ourselves totally vulnerable.”
The lack of American support has an impact on the war in Ukraine because the country’s army cannot plan, analyzes military expert Claudia Major. However, Europe could do more. To do this, however, the war must be perceived as something that affects the prosperity and security of the European people.
Klitschko’s appeal
But what does it look like on site? Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko is connected for an interview from the Ukrainian capital. Klitschko seems confident, but he is aware of the situation in his country. “I would like to thank our partners for the air defense systems that come from Germany,” he says. Kiev is better protected than it was two years ago when the war began. “But we never have enough air defense systems, because we also have to protect other cities. That is question number one. In our city, more than 800 buildings have been destroyed since the beginning of the war, including more than 450 residential buildings. More than 200 civilians have been killed, including seven children. We are attacked every day. The Russians are ruining our infrastructure. Today another power plant was destroyed, a few days ago the power plant in Kharkiv. The nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia is losing energy. This is not a war, this is terror. Putin has began to devastate the country. In some parts of the country people can no longer live because it is impossible to live without electricity and water.”
Ukraine has been able to withstand the largest and strongest army for more than two years. “Nevertheless, this war is a war of resources, of human and financial resources. That is why we need the support of our partners. This is not a major hurdle. We protect and defend not only our homes, our cities and our lands. We defend each of you. Because in his sick fantasy, Putin wants to reintroduce the Russian Empire. That’s no secret.”
Ukraine is fighting for its territory. “The Russians are the leading force. They are trying to force us to sit down at a round table and ask for a compromise. And that would mean that we cede a large part of our land to the Russian Federation.” But there is no guarantee that the Russian army will not start attacks again after some time. Klitschko continued: “Of course we want a diplomatic solution. But at the moment there is only one solution: We have to be strong, politically and in defense.” Giving up a large part of the country is not a compromise proposal that Ukraine will agree to.
“Every weapon for Ukraine is a defensive weapon”
The moderator wants to know whether Ukraine still needs Taurus weapons from Germany. Klitschko answers: “Every weapon that Germany supplies us is a defensive weapon. Ukraine is a peaceful country. We have always been neutral and never aggressive against our neighbors. Today we have no other choice: we have to defend our country. The whole world respects the Ukrainian soldiers. We have shown the will to win, a really tough character. The will to win is good, but weapons play an important role. It’s no secret: we have a huge deficit of ammunition and various weapons. That’s why we need “We make quick decisions. Because it’s about the lives of our soldiers.”
Without the support of its partners, Ukraine cannot survive. The Ukrainian economy is not functioning, logistics are destroyed, military potential is limited. “Everyone must understand: the meaning of this senseless war for us is to be part of the European family.” Russia wants to annex Ukraine. “Every Western politician must understand: Without arms deliveries, without a Ukrainian success, Putin will go as far as we allow him to go.”