Stresses that Ukraine needs weapons now
Yaro Bihun
Andriy Parubiy, vice-chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, briefs the news media at the Embassy of Ukraine about his talks with U.S. officials in Washington.
WASHINGTON – The vice-chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy, came to Washington during the last week of February in an effort to convince the United States that it can help his country resolve the conflict in its eastern regions with Russian separatists by providing the Ukrainian armed forces with lethal and defensive weapons.
During his three-day visit on February 24-26, he presented his government’s case in meetings on Capitol Hill with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner and members of the Senate and Congressional Ukrainian Caucuses. He also met with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland and senior officials at the Defense Department and National Security Council as well as with other leading Washington foreign policy experts.
On the last day of his visit here, Mr. Parubiy spoke about what he tried to accomplish during a brief news conference at the Embassy of Ukraine.
“Ukraine has to ascertain: are we alone or not alone. We have to find out if the country that guaranteed our security in the Budapest Memorandum is willing to back Ukraine at this difficult moment,” he said.
Ukraine needs arms assistance now, Mr. Parubiy underscored, adding that he brought with him a list of the lethal and nonlethal weapons Ukraine’s armed forces need, agreed upon by the ministries of defense and foreign affairs, and other Ukrainian government institutions.
He said he could not be specific and publicly reveal the list of lethal arms requested, but he did acknowledge that anti-tank missiles were at the top of that list.
As for the nonlethal arms list, Mr. Parubiy said it includes short-range radar, high-altitude drones to identify the locations and movement of enemy arms and troops, radio communications equipment for coordinating military operations, night-vision glasses and other equipment.
“We recognize this as a unique moment, when Republicans and Democrats are completely united on this issue,” he said, noting that they speak openly about it in the halls of Congress and with the media and public.
“I expect that in the near future this political discussion will come to a positive decision in favor of Ukraine,” Mr. Parubiy said. But that final decision, of course, will be made at the White House, he added.
Noting that he came to the United States by way of Canada, Mr. Parubiy said that Canada and a number of European countries are ready to assist Ukraine today, but they are waiting for the United States to make its decision on this matter.
He pointed out that the United States is the leader of the Euro-Atlantic bloc. And leadership is not only a question of having the authority, he said, “Leadership is the ability to make a decision, to take the responsibility. And I expect that as a result of the meetings we had here and the public pressure on this issue, the decision will be made.”
He acknowledged that the argument presented by opponents of arms aid to Ukraine is that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will respond by providing even more military assistance to the Russian separatists. But he stressed that if the Ukrainian armed forces receive modern military weapons and other equipment, its soldiers will be able to effectively defend eastern Ukraine against the “separatists” and Russian intruders in that region.
As for sanctions against Russia, Mr. Parubiy said he also discussed in what areas Western sanctions should be applied against Russia: banking, energy and Russian oligarchs. And these actions should not be delayed until the after Russia’s next aggressive moves in Ukraine.
“Sanctions should be applied for those aggressive steps already made and not wait for those that may follow,” such as Mariupol, he emphasized.
The Rada vice-chairman also expressed Ukraine’s gratitude for the response to Ukraine’s crisis shown by the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and the United States that is doing its utmost to help Ukraine in this time of need.
Mr. Parubiy said that during his meetings here he was also preparing for a Washington visit in the near future by the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Volodymyr Groysman.