Russia and Ukraine: – “Reconciliation is impossible for generations”

Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefantschuk takes an hour to answer the questions of the “Krone” at the Hotel Imperial in Vienna. He is actually on a “promotional tour” for Ukraine’s accession to the EU, the Krone reported, but the talk soon turns to Ukraine’s future, which will continue to take place in Russia’s shadow. “You’re right. You can’t change geography,” Stefantschuk told the Krone.

Can there ever be reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine? “Putin has done everything in his power to ensure that reconciliation for future generations is out of the question. Anyone who lost their family in Bucha or Irpin, who was kidnapped from Mariupol, or pregnant women who lost their husbands and unborn children while trying to escape, will find it hard to forgive.”

Ukraine’s blood toll in this war is high
Justice is sought for these atrocities. No revenge, as Stefantschuk emphasizes. It is a pursuit of justice and the punishment of the guilty.

And justice equals victory. That is what the relatives in Bucha had asked for, Stefantschuk says when he was there with President Zelensky. Not about assistance or personal support: “But we win that.” At any cost? The blood toll of the Ukrainian army is high. “Not at any cost, because saving someone’s life is our top priority,” he says.

But he also warns states that are reluctant to provide military aid that every day without aid “100 Ukrainian soldiers will lose their lives and 500 will be injured.” It is important that the western world also understands that “war is not far away. Without Ukraine, Russian tanks would already be driving through Western European cities.”

The mental and military strength of the Ukrainian people is a central story of Stefanchuk. He repeated this repeatedly in his campaign for early accession to the EU: “We can offer the EU a lot,” he says. “We have a strong army, Ukraine is Europe’s breadbasket and provides food security for ten percent of the world’s population, and our IT research is well advanced.”

“I am an optimist”
The EU summit will take place in Brussels next week. Anything other than the nomination as a candidate country would be a disappointment for Ukraine. “I’m an optimist,” says Stefantschuk. “We will reach accession status 99.9 percent of the time.”

Austria is quite reserved. The priorities are in the Western Balkans. Stefantschuk nods: “I get this question very often in Austria. However, the ambitions of the Western Balkans and ours are not mutually exclusive. The road to the EU looks different for every country,” said Stefantschuk, who also thanked the Austrian people for their support, which has taken in more than 70,000 Ukrainians.