UK support for Ukraine will be recognised writes nation's ambassador

Britain’s incredible support for Ukraine during Russian invasion will be recognised around the world, writes VADYM PRYSTAIKO, the country’s ambassador to the UK

Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine Ambassador to the UK

Thirty-one years ago this week, Ukraine became an independent state amid the downfall of the Soviet Union.

For three decades, our continued struggle to secure our own identity against a revanchist Russia went largely unnoticed by most British people.

Some perhaps remembered us from school lessons as the ‘breadbasket of Europe’, others knew of the horrors of Chernobyl and of Holodomor — Stalin’s man-made famine that killed millions of my compatriots in the early 1930s.

Apart from when England played Ukraine in a big football match, or when Britons ordered Chicken Kyiv at the local pub, we seldom claimed much attention.

All that changed, of course, in late February when president Putin rolled his tanks over the Ukrainian border.

Today, Britons can find Ukraine on a map. Every day, I am proud and humbled to see my nation’s flag flying alongside your own, up and down this wonderful country.

On a normal Independence Day, Ukrainian ambassadors across the globe would be writing about the beauty and potential of our nation, holding receptions, luring investors and tourists.

But Russia’s war has changed everything. The world is not what it was on February 23. So, departing from tradition, I want to leave you with three key messages.

First, this is a war we must win. Putin, his cronies and every other Russian who kills, tortures and rapes Ukrainians are criminals of the worst kind. They have waged an unjustified and unjustifiable war against a sovereign nation — and history will judge them for it.

‘On a normal Independence Day, Ukrainian ambassadors across the globe would be writing about the beauty and potential of our nation, holding receptions, luring investors and tourists,’ writes Vadym Prystaiko. Pictured: (From left) Deidre Brock MP, Ukraine ambassador Vadym Prystaikotand his wife Inna Prystaiko along with Lord Provost Robert Aldridge take part in a Ukraine independence march from the Volodomyr Velacky monument to the to the Holodmor plaque at Edinburgh’s Calton Hill to mark Ukrainian Independence Day yesterday, and six months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine ambassador Vadym Prystaiko and his wife Inna Prystaiko lay a wreath at the Volodomyr Velacky monument at Edinburgh’s Calton Hill

I want to state that the actions of Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured with Mr Prystaiko), as well as those of his government, politicians of all UK parties and the machinery of the British state, have made an immeasurable difference

The way to deal with bullies is simple: you side with the victim and punish the aggressor, or the bully will keep coming back for more.

In 1992, Ukraine removed nuclear weapons from its soil in return for promises of protection from the United States, the UK and, ironically, Russia.

If the free world is true to its word, and wishes to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction to every nation that feels threatened by neo- imperial powers, this promise of protection must be kept.

Make no mistake: this war is not just against Ukraine. It is an attempt to upend the international order and intercontinental security that have allowed nations to co-exist and peace to prosper since the end of World War II.

For Britain and her free allies to stand with Ukraine shows democracy in the ascendency — and demonstrates that the era of dictators snatching what they want is over.

A man stands next to his car, destroyed by a Russian military strike, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Chaplyne, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine yesterday

A car wreck lies in front of a burnt-out train after a Russian air strike on a passenger train that left 15 dead near the city of Dnipro

Russia is a nuclear-armed terrorist state on the loose. That is a threat that simply cannot be tolerated. So I ask: please, never let your support for Ukraine waver.

Second, I want to state that the actions of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as those of his government, politicians of all UK parties and the machinery of the British state, have made an immeasurable difference.

Britain’s political support, financial help, military supplies and global leadership were there when we needed it most. And you are continuing to help us today as others increasingly turn a blind eye.

At some point in the future, Britain’s full contribution will be known and recognised by the world, and I look forward to telling that astonishing story.

On this solemn day, therefore, I thank Britain from the bottom of my heart. Every shipment of weaponry and humanitarian aid; every penny donated to the DEC Ukraine Appeal or to my embassy through the website ukraine.org; every Ukrainian flag fluttering outside a British home, office and factory; every word or gesture of support shown to Ukrainians — every one of them is making us stronger.

Finally, let me say a word about the kind-hearted and caring British people.

Thousands of you have opened your homes and hearts to strangers from a foreign land: vulnerable and distressed people with their own traditions, speaking a different language, who had been forced to flee their homes, jobs and loved ones.

My heart soars when I hear their stories: of children welcomed into British schools and their parents invited into communities and given jobs. It does not always work, and it pains me greatly when it does not — but I ask for your forbearance and perseverance.

‘Thank you, Britain, for everything you have done.’ Pictured: Vadym Prystaiko outside the Ukrainian Embassy to the UK in London

If there is a positive in Putin’s hideous war, it is that our two nations have found each other.

When the horrors of this conflict are behind us I see a great future and tremendous prospects for the UK and Ukraine to become long-term friends and partners in confronting the problems that matter to all humanity.

Until then: thank you, Britain, for everything you have done. It is thanks to your solidarity that Ukraine celebrates this Independence Day stronger and more determined than ever.

Source: Read Full Article