This has been the agenda of Olena Halushka (Lviv, 1989) in recent days. Munich Security Conference: dinner with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Berlin: debate forum before 5,000 people. The Hague: symposium at Leiden University; then Brussels (European Commission and Parliament, Belgian Government…) and then London. And meanwhile, Barcelona, ??at the Cidob with Carmen Claudín and the journalist Anna Korbut. Halushka, an economist and anti-corruption activist, is co-founder of the International Center for the Victory of Ukraine and dedicates seemingly inexhaustible energy to promoting the Ukrainian cause in Europe.
You promote the liquidation of Russian assets frozen since the invasion, 300 billion dollars, for the benefit of Ukraine. Why do you think it is feasible?
Belgium has the majority of this money deposited in euros, around 200 billion dollars. When international sanctions were applied, they stayed there. It is said to be protected by sovereign immunity rights, but that concept applies only to judicial confiscation. We hope that a decision by the G-7, the EU and Belgium will be implemented politically. Under international law, there is the right to apply countermeasures when the aggressor violates international law very seriously. What is happening in Ukraine is that an alliance of autocracies, Russia, North Korea and Iran, are exchanging technologies and testing Western resolve to defend democracy. Iran has supplied Russia with 400 ballistic missiles, and North Korea with one million artillery shells, the same ones that the European Union has not been able to deliver to Ukraine on time. Russia is saying very explicitly that it will not stop in this war and will continue to move forward. It is therefore in the interest of the entire international community to ensure that it is defeated.
Do you mean that this is about Russian money paying for the Ukrainian war effort?
The G-7 partners already said in their statement that this money will not be returned to Russia until it pays war reparations. This means that no one plans to return it anyway. This money lies dead while Ukrainians are bleeding and need it to defend themselves. American aid is stalled in Congress. And Russia’s key priority is to cut off Western aid. We are desperately short of ammunition. That is why we have to think about how to use at least part of this money for our self-defense.
Do you expect, for example, Germany to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles, which can attack Russian territory?
Ukraine never attacked Russia, it is defending itself, which means all military objectives are legitimate. We need to attack her ability to fight this war. How come the third year of a full-scale war begins and Russia still makes a fortune selling oil?
The contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine remains in force…
We are a reliable partner. If Europe buys that gas from Russia, what we can do is encourage it to stop buying it. If you continue to do so, we will respect it, because that is our commitment. It would be disrespectful to our partners.
What is victory?
Victory, of course, is to restore control over the 1991 borders. I know that today this goal is much more complicated. Russia has managed to build very strong defense lines and continues to receive technology from the West. Its hypersonic missile has seven components that are manufactured mainly in the US, but also in other G-7 countries. That means Russia has virtually unimpeded access to Western technology. For us, victory is integration into the EU and NATO, to stop being in the gray zone.
What does Zelensky say to Ukrainians every night?
Well, I don’t watch those videos every day. But it is very important to have that information channel. On the other hand, there probably should have been a more honest explanation for why he fired General Zaluzhni.
It has been said that Zelensky is isolated in his own environment…
Possibly, but I think this is also a consequence of the circumstances he has been working under, the enormous pressure over the last two years.
He must be exhausted.
I’m sure he’s exhausted. There are many internal challenges and the society is also very exhausted. We are losing our best generation, the people who have been strong enough, brave enough not to run away but to take up arms.
Do Ukrainians receive real information about the war?
I think so, we have a lot of people on the front lines and we are getting the truth, yes, yes.
We don’t know how many soldiers have died…
The Government still keeps it secret. I do not know the reason. My personal opinion is that showing this information would probably help mobilize our partners to move faster.
What response have you received so far in your meetings in Europe?
Some countries have a very strong sense of urgency. I am quite optimistic about aid and European trends, because I have traveled, let’s say, to Germany eleven times in two years. The first time they only offered three thousand helmets for Ukraine, and right now Germany is one of the main leaders in military support for Ukraine in Europe.
