“It changes absolutely nothing: Ukraine is a unitary state, which is constituted within its 1991 borders, borders which were recognized by the entire international community, including Russia”, reacts Friday, September 30 on franceinfo Lesia Vasylenko, Ukrainian MP. Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the annexation of four regions of Ukraine to Russia, during a ceremony in the Kremlin in the presence of the four pro-Russian leaders of these territories controlled in whole or in part by Moscow. . The regions concerned are those of Donetsk and Lugansk in the east of Ukraine, and of Zaporijjia and Kherson located in the south of the country.
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franceinfo: How did you feel when you saw Russia celebrating the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions this Friday?
Lesia Vasylenk: It changes absolutely nothing: Ukraine is a unitary state, which is constituted within its borders of 1991. Borders that were recognized by the entire international community, including Russia. These borders include: Crimea (annexed since 2014), Donestsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. There are millions and millions of Ukrainians living in these regions who did not take part in this farce which the Russians call “referendums”. They still want to be Ukrainians, to speak their language, to live under the Ukrainian flag. Which means living in a free country, which respects human rights and which respects freedoms. We must continue to fight for these people. It will be very difficult for them in the weeks to come, and the Ukrainian government will do its best so that these people can continue to resist in these territories, have the means to resist. And we will of course do as quickly as possible so that these territories are freed from Russian occupation.
Vladimir Putin has called on the kyiv regime to stop firing and come back to the negotiating table, is that a call you can hear?
It’s blackmail, it’s ultimatums: how can we sit down at a table with Vladimir Putin and start negotiating with an international criminal, a terrorist, an aggressor? We could negotiate under other conditions, the first is that all Russian soldiers withdraw from Ukrainian territory, that they leave us in peace. This is the first condition to start any negotiation.
“We cannot negotiate with the threat of bombardments, missiles, strikes… Today, these are not negotiations, these are forced threats.”
Lesia Vasylenko, Ukrainian MPat franceinfo
There is once again an accelerated request for Ukraine to join NATO at the request of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky. Now is the time to join NATO?
Absolutely and it is in the interests of NATO member countries, so that we are united both against Russian aggression but also against Russian imperialism. We cannot allow an empire to recover in the 21st century: we will have too many problems, too many wars, too many deaths if we let Putin act as he is doing now. And for that, we must unite our efforts and be in a common space.
The idea is complicated to integrate Ukraine into NATO, because that would mean that NATO is at war with Russia?
NATO member countries with their support for Ukraine are already at war with Russia. If they don’t show more support for Ukraine, they really risk seeing their borders too close to Russia and seeing war coming to their country. First in the Baltic countries, then in the other countries of Eastern Europe.