This has been the agenda of Olena Haluixka (Lviv, 1989) in recent days. Munich Security Conference: dinner with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Berlin: debate forum in front of 5,000 people. The Hague: Symposium at Leiden University; then Brussels (European Commission and Parliament, Belgian Government...) and then London. And meanwhile, Barcelona, at the Cidob with Carmen Claudín and the journalist Anna Korbut. Olena Haluyshka, economist and anti-corruption activist, is co-founder of the International Center for the Victory of Ukraine and is dedicated to promoting the Ukrainian cause for Europe with seemingly inexhaustible energy.
You promote the liquidation of Russian assets frozen since the invasion, 300 billion dollars, for the benefit of Ukraine. Why do you think it is feasible?
Belgium has most of this money deposited in euros, around 200 billion dollars. When international sanctions were applied, they stayed there. This money is said to be protected by sovereign immunity rights, but this concept only applies to judicial seizure. We hope that a decision by the G-7, the EU and Belgium will be implemented politically. According to international law, there is the right to apply countermeasures when the aggressor violates international law very seriously. What is happening in Ukraine is that an alliance of autocracies, Russia, North Korea and Iran, are exchanging technology and testing Western resolve to defend democracy. Iran has supplied Russia with 400 ballistic missiles, and North Korea with one million artillery projectiles, the same ones that the European Union has not been able to deliver to Ukraine in time. Russia is saying very explicitly that it will not stop in this war and that it will continue to advance. It is therefore in the interest of the entire international community to ensure that it is defeated.
Does it mean that Russian money pays for Ukraine's war effort?
The G-7 partners already said in their statement that this money will not be returned to Russia until it pays war reparations. That means no one is planning on getting them back anyway. This money stays dead while Ukrainians are bleeding and need it to defend themselves. US aid is stalled in Congress. And Russia's key priority is cutting off Western aid. We are desperately short of ammunition. That's why we have to think about how to use at least part of this money for our self-defense.
Does he expect, for example, Germany to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles, which can attack Russian territory?
Ukraine has never attacked Russia, it is defending itself, which means all military targets are legitimate. We need to attack their ability to fight this war. How is it that the third year of a full-scale war begins and Russia is still making a fortune selling oil?
The contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine remains in force...
We are a reliable partner. If Europe buys this gas from Russia, what we can do is encourage it to stop buying it there. If it continues to do so we will respect it, because this is our commitment. It would be disrespectful to our partners.
What is victory?
The victory, of course, is to restore control over the borders of 1991. I know that today this goal is much more complicated. Russia has managed to build very strong defense lines, and continues to receive technology from the West. Its hypersonic missile has seven components that are manufactured primarily in the US, but also in other G-7 countries. This means that Russia has virtually unhindered access to Western technology. For us, victory is integration into the EU and NATO, no longer being in the gray area.
What does Zelensky say every night to Ukrainians?
Well, I don't watch those videos every day. But it is very important to have this channel of information. On the other hand, there probably should have been a more honest explanation as to why he fired General Zalujni.
It has been said that Zelensky is isolated in his own environment...
Possibly, but I think this is also a consequence of the circumstances in which he has been working, the enormous pressure of the last two years.
It must be exhausted.
I'm sure he's exhausted. There are many internal challenges and society is also very exhausted. We are losing our best generation, the people who have been strong enough, brave enough not to run away, but to take up arms.
Are Ukrainians getting real information about the war?
I think so, we have a lot of people on the front lines and we are getting the truth, yes, yes.
We don't know how many soldiers have died...
The Government keeps it a secret. I don't know the reason. My personal opinion is that showing this information would probably help mobilize our partners to move forward faster.
What response has he received so far in his meetings in Europe?
Some countries have a very strong sense of urgency. I am quite optimistic about aid and European trends, because I have traveled, let's say, to Germany eleven times in two years. The first time they offered only three thousand helmets for Ukraine, and right now Germany is one of the main leaders in military support for Ukraine in Europe.
