Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine’s former Ambassador to Canada
Marco Levytsky, National Affairs Editor.
Former Ambassador assails NATO’s “weakness” throughout webinar
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will not stop at Ukraine, says Ukraine’s former Ambassador to Canada.
“If you don’t convince your government to step in, you as peaceful citizens will have to deal with the consequences later on when the war will come to your skies or to your land. We’re dealing with a crazy man who is obsessed with how he is going to go into history, and he is not going to stop in my country… He will continue with his land grabs and his crazy actions… until he is stopped,” said Andriy Shevchenko during the special webinar “Live from Kyiv: The Battle for Ukraine”, sponsored by the Chair of Ukrainian Studies and the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) at the University of Ottawa, March 9.
He made the statement in response to a question as to what people in Western countries could do to help Ukraine. The best way was to talk to their governments and put pressure on them to help Ukraine, he said.
Shevchenko, who is currently serving with Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is an officer in the reserves, urged NATO nations to apply a no-fly zone over Ukraine for humanitarian purposes.
“We need that to protect civilians and we will need that to provide people in our major cities which are now under siege (with) basic needs… We need that if we are to stop the tragic events that are happening. It’s not about strategy. It’s not about military tactics. It’s about who is stronger in the skies and who is stronger on the ground. It’s about protecting civilian lives and its about humanitarian needs,” he said.
“When NATO comes together (to discuss a no fly-zone) and the only thing that NATO can say after that is ‘we can do nothing about this’, this shows NATO to be a weak alliance and I don’t think this is the message that NATO wants to project to the whole world,” Shevchenko noted.
“To all our friends in the West. We know that you want to postpone a possible direct engagement, a direct war with the Russians… I’d like to be wrong, but I think it’s quite obvious that the direction we are heading in… is a direct war and direct action between Russia and NATO. So, the sooner we start acting together, the sooner we close the skies over Ukraine, the more civilian lives we can save and the more chances we give to the peace process in general.”
NATO’s weakness was a theme Shevchenko returned to several times during the webinar. Asked about Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s threats of nuclear escalation, Shevchenko replied:
“I think this threat is real and when NATO shows its weakness, that is an invitation for Putin to go further. And I think the Western leaders are doing a terrible job for themselves when they show weakness to the world and to Russia…. There is a number of people in Western capitals who realize that we are actually moving towards further escalation between Russia and NATO, and this might come to a point when this will be the inevitable. Not because the West has taken the wrong steps. Not because the West does something. But because NATO and the West stay silent and do not do anything. Putin takes that as an invitation to go further.”
Nevertheless, he did give credit to training programs such as Canada’s Operation Unifier which has been in operation since 2014 and has helped Ukraine’s Armed Forces to prepare.
“When we see these armed forces and this national guard giving the Russians such a tremendous fight… we understand that they have not wasted these last eight years. They are much better trained. They have good weapons.”
Asked by New Pathway – Ukrainian News whether the “ping-pong” The United States and Poland are playing as to who will actually deliver MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine could be alleviated by letting Ukrainian pilots fly them in, Shevchenko replied: “This is exactly the question that we have been asking of our partners. So yes, if you want us to help, we will find a way what to do with your help.”
Shevchenko noted that war brings out the extremes in people – some becoming extremely bad, others extremely good. And in Ukraine it has brought out the best as people unite and political differences are set aside.
“We have seen a better version of ourselves. It’s really extraordinary. It’s really amazing.”
Asked about the possibility of a diplomatic solution, Shevchenko replied that Ukraine has very few expectations.
“What Russia wants is… Ukraine to disappear. And I think Putin is quite clear about that. He does not recognize our right to exist as a sovereign nation. And I do not see how we can be half sovereign or quarter sovereign. It’s either you accept, recognize and respect the sovereignty of other nations, or you don’t.”
Asked what message he wanted to send the government in Ottawa, Shevchenko replied:
“I want every Canadian to know that we appreciate all that you have done to support us, whether it’s financial support or military training, or the weapons that you finally started providing us with. We greatly, greatly appreciate this.”
He then added: “We do have a feeling that the West is not doing enough in this situation. We are not alone, but we are feeling lonely. That’s pretty much what every Ukrainian feels right now.”
He recalled how Ukraine’s first Ambassador to Canada, Levko Lukianenko predicted that Russia will try to militarily take over Ukraine, but that this will lead to the end of its empire.
“I have a feeling — a big hope — that we will see the collapse of the Russian Empire in its nastiest most terrible form and that we are witnessing this right now. And, speaking from Ukraine, from this free and unbroken country, I just want everyone to know that we have a very strong feeling here that we will get though this. We shall overcome and we know that we are fighting not just for our land, for our country, but the whole planet,” he said.
The webinar was co-moderated by Dominique Arel, who holds the Chair of Ukrainian Studies in the School of Political Studies, and Rita Abrahamsen, Director of the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS).
See a complete recording of the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0XC0rSI0Q8
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