A THOUSAND DAYS OF WAR || At the same time that President Joe Biden ended restrictions on the use of weapons in Russian territory, many of Donald Trump’s trusted men want Ukraine to give up its territory in exchange for peace. For Ambassador Maryna Mykhailenko, the history of Russian aggression proves that “territorial concessions would not lead to peace,” but would only perpetuate instability and conflict
A thousand days later, the threats continue to multiply. The situation on the battlefield in Ukraine is difficult, with shortages of men and material being felt, and with Russia once again intensifying a bombing campaign against energy infrastructure, leaving millions without power. But on the diplomatic level, a cloud of doubt is beginning to appear. Ukraine’s ambassador to Portugal, Maryna Mykhailenko, praises Portuguese support but admits that it will be more difficult to fight the war without the support of allies, warning that a forced end to the fighting will not lead to the end of the war.
“There is a lot of information circulating in the media regarding the plan [de paz]but so far we have no official proposal. But if we are talking about some territorial concession, do you think Putin is ready to exchange territory for peace? We don’t have a sign from him to stop this aggression and to sit at the negotiating table. For us it is important to have a comprehensive plan that guarantees a fair and long peace and not just an agreement that stops the fighting. The end of the fighting will not lead to the end of the war”, explains Maryna Mykhailenko to CNN Portugal.
The days following Donald Trump’s election were marked by speculation about the US president’s strategy for dealing with the Ukraine dossier. During the campaign, the Republican candidate repeatedly stated that, if elected, he would end the conflict in less than 24 hours. Past statements by the former president’s choices for some of the executive’s most important positions have also raised questions about continued US military support for Ukraine.
The situation took on a new dimension with the public comment from the president-elect’s son, who shared a photo of the Ukrainian president with the description “his allowance will run out”. Shortly afterwards, it was Elon Musk’s turn, a businessman appointed to manage a department dedicated to government efficiency, to respond to Zelensky’s statements about Ukraine not being forced to “sit and listen” in negotiations. “Your sense of humor is wonderful,” Musk responded.
But in Ukraine’s view, a peace at any cost that is not considered fair and guarantees security in the coming decades could mean the end of the country. For this reason, the Ukrainian diplomat insists that her country has no other choice but to fight against the invading country, although she admits that without military support from the West, this fight will be even more unequal and the price paid by the country will be even higher.
“We have been at war for more than ten years. The war did not start in 2022, but in 2014. Some of the military experts only gave us three days or two weeks, but we have continued to fight until now because we have no choice. We know that Putin doesn’t just want a part of Ukraine, he wants to destroy Ukraine completely. That is why, for us, there is no choice, for us it is an existential war”, guarantees the Ukrainian ambassador.
Ambassador Maryna Mykhailenko categorically rejected the idea of territorial concessions as a path to peace, stating that Russia does not show a genuine willingness to negotiate. Recalling the conditions imposed by Moscow, which include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from illegally annexed territories and neutrality with Ukraine outside of NATO, they are incoherent, given that Ukraine was already neutral in 2014, when Crimea was annexed. For Mykhailenko, this history of aggression shows that “territorial concessions would not lead to peace,” but would only perpetuate instability and conflict.
“We all remember the preconditions [russas]. Withdraw all Ukrainian troops from regions of Ukraine. He was unable to take them by force and then he tried to force us to abandon this territory, our territory. Another condition was not to join NATO and to be neutral, but I remember that Ukraine was neutral in 2014, during the occupation of Crimea. All this confirms that they are not ready for negotiations. And this is extremely important: concessions [territoriais] would not lead to peace.
For this reason, Maryna Mykhailenko welcomes Joe Biden’s decision to lift the restriction on the use of American long-range weapons to hit military targets inside Russian territory, putting an end to an ironclad struggle between the American administration and Ukrainian that had been going on for months. In September, the Ukrainian leader visited the United States, where he met with Joe Biden, and delivered a list of targets that Ukraine sees as a priority to reach inside Russian territory.
“According to article 51 of the United Nations Charter, we have every right to defend ourselves. In my view, this restriction that long-range missiles cannot be used on Russian territory is artificial and has created many problems for us on the battlefield. We have asked our partners to lift these restrictions and, finally, I hope it will be done”, he states.
Ukraine has been buffeted by FAB glide bombs. This Russian ammunition carries a large amount of explosives and is capable of being fired more than 60 kilometers from the target, hitting it with great precision. Over the past few months, Kiev has argued with its partners that the only way to solve this problem is to nip the problem in the bud. These bombs are almost impossible to intercept with anti-aircraft defense systems, so the Ukrainian solution involves destroying the aircraft on Russian territory, when they are still in their hangars. To achieve this, the use of long-range missiles is essential.
Asked about the timing of the American decision, Maryna Mykhailenko points to a change on the battlefield that “changed everything” for Ukraine: the introduction of North Korean soldiers on the front line, in the Kursk region. Initially, the Pentagon and Ukraine estimated that the number of North Korean soldiers was around 11 thousand, however, anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg claim that this number could reach 100 thousand soldiers. “This changes everything for us, we are no longer just fighting against the Russians, but also against North Korean troops”, he emphasizes.
At the same time, in Europe, contradictory signals are emerging. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Vladimir Putin for the first time since the war began, asking the Russian president to show “a willingness to start talks with Ukraine in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.” Although Scholz reaffirmed the “Germany’s unshakable determination to support Ukraine” in defense against Russia, the call went down badly in Kiev The Ukrainian ambassador to Portugal questions the usefulness of the call that only served to help Russia get out of “isolation”, opening. a “Pandora’s box”.
“We know that Putin’s plans go well beyond Ukraine, remember the situation on the border between Poland and Belarus with immigration, we know all the examples of Russian interference in some elections across Europe, we remember other examples , as in the Baltic States, when [os russos] They tried to test the maritime border with Lithuania, if I’m not mistaken. Putin’s plan is clear as water: divide Europe, of course, divide the European Union and he will go further if he is not stopped”, warns Mykhailenko.
And to fulfill this plan, Ukraine believes that Russia will use much more than just its army. For Maryna Mykhailenko, there are clear signs that the Russia of former Soviet intelligence agent Vladimir Putin is willing to use less conventional means to destabilize its adversaries and Portugal is not safe. Ukraine believes that Moscow does not hesitate to use disinformation, “a very effective instrument that Russia has”. But this may have a price to pay: freedom of expression itself. “The line that separates freedom of expression and democratic values from disinformation is very thin. I hope you find a balance between safety – because what is at stake is your safety, first and foremost – and these values”, he explains.
Portugal, despite the geographical distance of around 4 thousand kilometers from Ukraine, has been one of the European countries that has given the most support to Kiev, something that has positively surprised the Ukrainian government, according to ambassador Maryna Mykhailenko. This support, which includes military and humanitarian assistance and reception of refugees, puts Portugal on Russia’s radar, according to the diplomat. “Portugal is a very important state, because it is on the western flank of NATO and now Ukraine is defending the eastern flank,” he said, suggesting that Moscow is trying to exploit these dynamics to influence public perception.
Even so, the ambassador highlighted the entire Portuguese support effort for Ukraine, which included military, economic and humanitarian dimensions. Among the military contributions, Mykhailenko mentioned the sending of three tanks and other armored vehicles, as well as the training of technicians within the F-16 coalition. Portugal also welcomed almost 60,000 Ukrainian refugees, offering them support and showing solidarity. Furthermore, during President Zelensky’s visit to Lisbon in May, a security agreement was signed that included Portuguese participation in the reconstruction of infrastructure in Ukraine, such as the Liceu 25 recovery project, in the Zhytomyr region.
“I want to thank all the Portuguese for the support they gave us and I would like to ask you to continue supporting Ukraine. It is a very difficult time in our history. The full-scale invasion has been going on for more than two and a half years and we need your support. And this war is not just ours. It is a war against Europe and against its values, principles and even its way of life”, he said.
