Ukraine’s ambassador to US: ‘It's either fight and liberate Ukraine or die. And we choose not to die.’

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States has just about as much trouble answering the question “how are you?” as many Ukrainians these days.

“I usually tell people we are kicking, fighting, but to say that we are fine is hard,” Oksana Markarova told the Kyiv Independent during our first conversation over Zoom from her office in Washington, D.C. in late November.

In between near 24/7 work with the Pentagon to secure much-needed weapons for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, the ambassador says she is able to get in touch with her family, affected by Russia’s constant attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, when they have power.

“They’re more or less hanging in there, but it’s cold,” she said.

Since Oct. 10, Russia has launched a series of mass missile and drone attacks at Ukraine, damaging and destroying critical energy infrastructure in the middle of winter. Millions across the country have faced frequent heat, water, and power outages.

Markarova says Russia’s goal with its attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure is pretty clear: to completely subjugate and occupy Ukraine. “It’s just that their means are evolving as they fail to do so.”

According to the ambassador, it’s all part of Russia’s perennial strategy to absorb Ukraine into its orbit. Even before 2014, when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea, Russia went to lengths to install its puppets in government positions, managing to get its own citizens into leadership positions in Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and security services, she said.

“When that didn't work, and people said a resolute no on Maidan to (then-President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision) not to join the European Association, that's when the war started.”

But Markarova is certain that no matter what Russia does to try and scare Ukrainians into submission, they will not be successful, despite living with frequent blackouts in the middle of winter.

“Talking to not only the president but also to family and friends (these attacks) have made everyone more resolute,” the ambassador said.

It is not just Russia’s attacks on critical infrastructure that have made Ukrainians more determined. As Ukraine continues to liberate territories and evidence of Russian war crimes comes to light, Ukrainians understand that they “only have one choice, to fight,” Markarova said.

Gaining and maintaining support from the US

Fighting Russia will require a steady stream of support and weaponry from Ukraine’s Western partners.

American support for Ukraine has been on a roll lately. In late December, the U.S. announced $1.85 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including the first Patriot air defense system–a big hand in protecting Ukraine’s skies.

Following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington, during which he delivered a historic address before Congress on Dec. 21, the U.S. announced more than $3 billion in military aid–this time with the long-awaited Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.

Markarova believes Zelensky’s trip to D.C. has a lot to do with this latest military aid package–the largest so far.

“Zelensky’s trip energized everyone. There was no guarantee that the Congress would support a bill that big, they could have let the next congress decide. I think the trip was essential to that decision,” Markarova said during a follow-up conversation over Zoom in early January.

Traveling to D.C. also allowed Zelensky to talk to U.S. President Joe Biden one-on-one. “There are so many things that you cannot discuss even over the secure phones,” she said.

During the trip, Zelensky also spoke to leaders of Congress about the possibility of confiscating Russian assets to use as assistance for Ukraine through the Foreign Assistance Act. That made it into the bill just days before it was passed, Markarova said.

The recent and seemingly sudden change of heart among Western politicians who earlier claimed sending more advanced weaponry could escalate the war and antagonize Russia is also partly the result of 11 months of empty Russian threats, according to the ambassador.

“During the past 11 months, Putin himself has proven how the new capabilities that help us to liberate our territories and our people do not result in anything escalatory on his part,” Markarova said, citing the lack of major Russian escalation or retaliation after each time Ukraine liberated its territories.

Regarding calls for negotiations among certain Western voices, Markarova said she hears fewer suggestions for a negotiated peace with Russia that would involve territorial concessions from Ukraine.

She also said that her counterparts in the United States government have been firm in their stance that they will be with Ukraine as long as it takes.

But Markarova admits that some, but not everyone, she said, “want the issue to be somehow resolved and go away.”

But for Ukrainians, reaching a deal with Russia that does not involve the full liberation of Ukraine’s territories is not an option, Markarova said.

“We did not start (this war). We did not choose it. And the choice for us is pretty clear. It's either fight and liberate Ukraine or die. And we choose not to die.”

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Note from the author:

Hello there from Lili, the author of this article. I hope you found this interview with Ukraine's ambassador to the United States interesting and enlightening. Along with my incredible colleagues, I work hard to report on Russia's brutal war against Ukraine-my adopted home after I first started living there in 2017. All I want is for Russia to leave Ukraine and for Ukrainians to be able to live in peace. Please consider donating to the Kyiv Independent and becoming our patron so that we can continue to build the Ukraine of our dreams.