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“Peace means the victory of Ukraine in this barbaric, imperialist war,” said on BNT, the ambassador of Ukraine to Bulgaria H.E. Vitalii Moskalenko.
According to him, there can be no peace in the last year after Russia attacked Ukraine, and continues to destroy infrastructure, peaceful homes, kill Ukrainian citizens and aims to destroy Ukraine and its people. He also stated that peace will come when all Russian troops are pushed out of the territory of Ukraine, including Crimea and Donbas, and war criminals are punished and guarantees of further non-aggression are obtained.
"This foresees the so-called peace plan of President Volodymyr Zelensky, which consists of 10 steps, which briefly include energy security, humanitarian, food, radiation security, the withdrawal of all occupation troops from Ukraine and others," said Ambassador Moskalenko.
“Russia does not admit defeat on the battlefield because that is its job”, he believes. He commented that it is possible that the war will last a very long time.
"I arrived in Bulgaria directly from the battlefield, when I worked as the Consul General of Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don. It was in 2014 that Russia started an aggressive war against Ukraine, illegally occupying Crimea, transferring its troops into Donbas, and I, with my own eyes, had the opportunity to observe the beginning of this aggressive war".
According to him, in the period 2014-2022, Russia occupied various parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, conducting actions on Ukrainian territory with the aim of expanding its influence, organizing alternative organizations and referendums.
"If there are not enough able and willing people in Ukraine to continue fighting for their independence, then we will simply disappear as a political, territorial and national entity from the world map. Our defeat, God forbid, will testify that the aggressive Putin's plans will continue."
About 4 million people have left Ukraine, and the internally displaced persons in the country are twice as many, the ambassador explained.
Bulgaria provided comprehensive assistance to Ukraine - direct, indirect and through third countries, Ambassador Moskalenko also said.
"Bulgaria, from the very beginning of this barbaric invasion of Russia against Ukraine, has taken a position that supports our just struggle. I do not want to go into details and possible comments, it is important for me and all of Ukraine that Bulgaria implements its military technical assistance, on par with humanitarian, political and to some extent financial aid. Not to mention the refugee protection and shelter that has been provided - currently 50,000 citizens of Ukraine are here."
According to him, direct delivery of items was carried out after the decision of the parliament. He said that he could not specify whether and how much military equipment was repaired in Bulgaria.
"As far as I remember, there was a serious intention to repair 50 Macedonian tanks, which were supposed to be sent to Ukraine. They were in a rather disassembled state, and the idea was to renovate this equipment on Bulgarian territory."
The ambassador stated that his country is interested in various projectiles and equipment that are produced in our country and are available in warehouses, but he did not specify what the supplies are from the Bulgarian side.
"Bulgaria is one of the largest producers of samples of old Soviet equipment, and such ammunition is expected and necessary for Ukraine. As well as other samples of combat and military equipment - armored personnel carriers, tanks. The shipment, predetermined by the latest decision of the Bulgarian parliament, is carried out, as far as I know, a week or two ago."
“Ukraine has not only a serious intention and desire, but also a vital necessity to become a member of the EU and NATO as soon as possible. We understand that the situation is not so clear-cut and we hope that Bulgaria will continue to support us on this path,” commented Ambassador Moskalenko.
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