For Natalia Anoshyna, Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Belgium, her country wants rapid and lasting peace after 1,000 days of fighting

A THOUSAND DAYS AFTER THE INVASION OF UKRAINE (1)

Chargé d’affaires of Ukraine in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Natalia Anoshyna asks Europe to help her country and its population to face winter. LPost / Philippe BOURGUET

This Tuesday, November 19, 2024, the war in Ukraine, triggered by the Russian invasion, reached a milestone: the conflict has lasted 1,000 days. And for Ukrainians, it is a sad anniversary, as fighting rages on the front and a settlement of the conflict is slow to come. Chargé d’affaires for Ukraine to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Natalia Anoshyna receives us at the headquarters of the Ukrainian embassy in Uccle (Brussels), Friday November 15 at the end of the day. She believes that Russia must pay for the damage caused and demands the return of Ukraine to its 1991 borders, including Crimea. She asks for European support to help her country face winter and recalls that the United States is a strategic partner of Ukraine. Consequently, she therefore pleads for an understanding dialogue with Donald Trump. Here is the first part of the interview she gave to L-Post.

With the photographer, we are accompanied by the one who organized the interview for us, the philosopher Daniel Salvatore Schiffer. You have to show white credentials to enter the building flanked by surveillance cameras. The welcome is sober. The hostess receives us, all dressed in a black dress, wearing a chain extended with two pendants in the colors of Ukraine around her neck. This is the dress code agreed with the leaders “ to commemorate this sad anniversary of 1,000 days of the aggression of our country by Russia “, explains Natalia Anoshyna.

I would like to say a few words of gratitude to Belgium and the Belgian people who helped us and gave us strong support from the first day of large-scale Russian aggression.

She tries to put on a brave face, but the emotion is palpable in her voice and in her eyes. “ I would first like to start with a few words of gratitude to Belgium and the Belgian people who helped us and gave us strong support from the first day of large-scale Russian aggression. On November 19, we will celebrate 1000 days of Ukrainian resistance, of the courage of Ukrainians in the fight against the Russian occupiers. It’s too much. Many people dream of peace in our country, but what is important for us is a just peace, a real lasting peace. And Ukraine’s victory is important for us », begins the business manager.

Weak and naive reaction from the international community

She has been representing and defending the cause of her country at war with the Belgian and Luxembourg authorities for almost three years. Beyond the Russian invasion which dates back a little over 32 months, she recalls that the territorial integrity of her country has been violated since Russia launched an occupation offensive on Crimea in February 2014. Russia has illegally occupied not only Crimea but also regions of Donbass, Donetsk and Luhansk for 10 years. It’s a very long road. Unfortunately, in 2014, the reaction of the international community was very weak and naive. If the reaction had been stronger, we would never have had the invasion of February 24, 2022. I am sincerely grateful to our courageous Ukrainian defenders, thanks to them we are alive; thanks to them we have a country and thanks to them we are moving towards the victory of Ukraine. They are an example for many countries and demonstrate the need to fight for your own country », continues Natalia Anoshyna.

A doctor of law from the Kharkiv Legal Academy and a graduate of the Kyiv Academy of Diplomacy, she also pays tribute to the foreign fighters who came to help the Ukrainian people in their response against the Russian invader. For her, this war goes beyond the defense of Ukraine’s borders. It is a war to defend the existence of the Ukrainian people, their identity, their language, their traditions and their culture. “ We want to be Ukrainians on our Ukrainian territory, under peaceful skies. We are not selling off our territory “, she emphasizes.

Help to face the harsh winter

The voice of our host of the day is calm, without aggression, but firm. To the question of what Ukraine wants from its partners, Natalia Anoshyna’s response comes out with force and conviction. “ We want to have enough weapons to protect our country, to have artillery, air protection systems and all the necessary weapons that we need. We see military aid programs for Ukraine, but very often the deliveries arrive late. And this works in favor of the Russians who have time to buy Iranian drones, new North Korean missiles and now to attract North Korean soldiers. However, time is against us and we are losing territories », replies the charge d’affaires who acts as ambassador to Belux.

We are approaching the winter season and the enemy is destroying almost all energy facilities, the energy sector.

She interrupts for a few seconds to drink a few sips of water. She recalls that every day, bombings target the regions and cities of Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporozhye and Odessa. “ Yesterday again (Thursday November 14, editor’s note)we suffered a terrible attack on Odessa, Mykolaiv, the Kherson region and the Chernihiv region “, she laments.

She observes that the situation is critical on the battlefield. And the approaching winter risks causing damage beyond the victims caused by bombings and military assaults. “ Sometimes we also see bombings in the western part of Ukraine. It is therefore the entire territory of Ukraine which is in danger. We are approaching the winter season and the enemy is destroying almost all energy facilities, the energy sector. This is why it is also important for us to have strong support from the international community to survive this winter. This is our priority. We lose our own on the battlefield every day. We don’t want to lose our compatriots because of winter “, she said loudly.

US support is needed

What does she think of the international support her country has received since the start of the Russian offensive? Would it be insufficient? “ When Ukraine wins, it will mean enough is enough. Before Ukraine’s victory, it is insufficient », insists Natalia Anoshyna.

We are for a comprehensive and full-fledged dialogue. Not right before the election or after and phone interviews. We also want a rapid end to the war.

Does she fear the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, like some observers? “ It is a choice of the American people and we respect it. Just before the elections, there was a dialogue between our President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. After the election results, our president was among the first leaders to congratulate Mr. Trump on his victory. The Ukrainian president also had a telephone conversation with Mr. Trump a few days ago. The United States of America is our strategic partner. Of course, we are counting on the support of the United States. This is very important to us. We hope that the dialogue will be fruitful between our leaders. We are for a comprehensive and full-fledged dialogue. Not right before the election or after and phone interviews. We also want a rapid end to the war. We are the ones who want to end the war. But it is not Ukraine that must pay. It is the aggressor who must pay. It is therefore not to the detriment of Ukraine that the war must be stopped. We will fight for our independence. We will fight for our sovereignty. We fight for democratic values ​​that are the same as those of Americans », assure Natalia Anoshyna.

Interview: Philippe Lawson

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