The following is a transcript of an interview with Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova that aired on Nov. 5, 2023.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re back with Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova. Good morning, and good to have you back here.
UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. OKSANA MARKAROVA: Good morning. Good to be back.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Your president has said that the- the war in the Middle East is diverting some attention from the war that’s happening in Ukraine. And he said that’s part of Russia’s goals. So I want to hear from you, where you think the conflict is, because I know that Ukraine has said it is running very short of US-provided aid.
AMB. MARKAROVA: Well, it’s- the war still continues the way it was going, you know, the front line is 800 kilometers, it’s 620th day. And the battle continues on all of this 800- 800 miles, actually not kilometers, miles, it’s longer than from here to Chicago. So we do need ammunition, we do need air defense, we need all of the capabilities that we have been receiving, as we were discussing. And of course, you know, right now, all the eyes are on US Congress, because we need the continuation of that. We already ran out of some of the programs, we completely utilized them. And yes, we have thanks to the planning and Congress and administration, some remaining money that we’re using, but the time is of the essence. And, of course, Russia is not on the trial. We see all this visits of Hamas and Iran to Russia, and we see how Iran and North Korea helping Russia to fight but also Russia helping a lot of them and helping Hamas openly. So, you know, we just have to understand that this war on terror have to be won everywhere, and that we cannot afford to lose focus in one place or another. That’s why in order to be able to stop not only Russia, but other terroristic regimes, we also have to win in Ukraine.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re talking about the fact that Hamas leaders recently visited Russia, and that Iran is providing drones for Russia to use against your people in Ukraine. The new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has changed his positions publicly on Ukraine. He did recently say he wants- he doesn’t want Vladimir Putin to win, and that he would bundle any Ukraine aid with US border aid. Has he agreed to meet with you? Can you persuade him to move quickly?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Well, I would be happy to meet Of course, whenever there will be time and opportunity. But I’m very glad to hear the Speaker said that we cannot allow Putin to win. I think all of us Ukrainians, but also Americans on a very strong bipartisan basis- by- basis, understand that it’s important for all of us. We cannot let aggressive, terroristic, non-democratic country to win, which just started a war of choice with no provocation. This is a violation of international law, but it’s also a violation of principles on which America has built, the values of Americans, but also what we are trying to build our country on. So we have to win. And America has to win in this one.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Your president was on another network this morning and said that he still doesn’t have any reason to believe Russia wants to negotiate a peaceful end to this conflict. But there are a lot of reports that there’s pressure on your government to agree to some kind of way to negotiate an end to the fighting. Is there any movement?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Just the reports- Russia never intended to negotiate. They don’t. Their intent is to destroy us. And we see it on the battlefield. And we see it in all the, if you can call them diplomatic interactions of their ambassadors. But no, you know, their intent is very clear. They are bombing civilians. Just today, they again bombed Odessa. They bomb in our country everywhere. They are preparing, of course to bomb us even more during the winter. And they are trying everything possible on the long frontline to achieve some kind of military goal. So that’s not how people who want to actually negotiate these- act. People who want to negotiate these first stop their aggressive war, get out from our country, and then negotiate, so no, I don’t think we should. Let’s not get fooled by any of their reports, whether they’re on anonymous sources or even some Russian sources.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The- your president has also talked about the need for more air defense because Russia has strengthened its abilities. He said the F-16s the US promised, they won’t arrive for a while, that Ukraine would like to borrow planes. How would that work? Is there some kind of immediate way to address this need?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Well, there are a number- like we’re open for any ideas to cooperate. So we’re very grateful to American people, for all the equipment that we are getting on these programs, you know, with your funding, from your own stocks, and we really again, count on Congress to continue that. We are ready to rent or lease or use any other equipment, including the American equipment. It’s not only from the US, we are ready to co-produce together. It’s one of the very important outcomes of the President Zelenskyy visit to the US and we’re working in that direction with American companies. So, you know, we understand that we need much more to win now. But we also need to build our future force because even after we win, Russia is not going to disappear somewhere. And they will continue to be a threat, not only to us, but to European Union, to the US, to everyone, to- to transatlantic community.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, thank you for your time. We’ll be back in a moment.
