Sergiy Kyslytsya, non-resident Ambassador of Ukraine to TT, says it is immoral to reduce the war in his country to entertainment, comment on it as if there were simple solutions, or express boredom or fatigue with the deaths of his people as well as Russian soldiers.
“I don’t appreciate comments coming from certain members of the public or experts who look at this war as if it is a computer game or as if it is a Hollywood or Netflix series. Then they sit on their sofas, eating popcorn, watching news and become kind of bored, but it is so immoral to the people being killed every day.
“They have to realise that it is not a computer game and there is no joystick that you can use to buy extra lives. Those are real lives of innocent Ukrainian civilians that are being hit almost every night with Russian missiles.”
He said there had been comments about removing the “threat” of bringing Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and negotiating with Russia on its claims to Ukraine’s eastern border in order to resolve the conflict peacefully.
But Kyslytsya, who is also the permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations and non-resident Ambassador of Ukraine to The Bahamas, said there was no way the European community would change its position on bringing Ukraine into the European Union (EU) or NATO.
Speaking with Sunday Newsday at the residence of the Delegation of the European Union to TT in Cascade, St Ann's, he said Ukraine now had the status of candidate country with the EU and believed the formal membership negotiations would begin by the end of the year.
Also, at NATO’s Vilnius Summit in July, there was a declaration to allow Ukraine regular consultations with NATO countries and to continue providing non-lethal assistance to Ukraine.
He said while it was a principled decision Ukraine would become a member of NATO, there was a limited chance that would happen while the war was ongoing.
“I think when the military phase of this war is over the process of succession of Ukraine to NATO will be accelerated. And I think that we are at the point where both sides understand that Ukraine needs NATO and NATO equally needs Ukraine.
“Ukraine has proved, in the course of the last 600-plus days, that we are capable to defend the security of Europe because when we fight this aggression, it's not the aggression just to defend ourselves. It is the aggression to defend the entire European continent (as Russia threatens other European countries every so often).”
He added that it was important that the EU continues to be a very strong partner with TT as, the more advanced the dialogue, the more chances there were to develop political and economic trade and co-operation between the countries.
Kyslytsya said it was clear that everyone wanted the war to end and some people were trying to plant the idea of fatigue with the Russia-Ukraine war.
Asked if the talk of fatigue could affect the US Senate hearing on Tuesday where White House is expected to argue for US$105 billion in emergency aid
