Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko talks about how her country is suffering from the war and explains why Ukraine is fighting for quick accession to the European Union.
Ms. Tymoshenko, you are traveling abroad for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine. How are you and how do you look back on the last three months?
Yulia Tymoshenko: I feel an all-encompassing, great pain in the face of so many murders, dead people, destroyed cities. We are a democratic European country that has lived in peace for many years. We never had ambitions for other territories or countries. There is no aggressive soul. And now Ukrainians are being killed. It’s surreal. I still can’t believe this is happening to us.
It is no coincidence that your journey takes you to Brussels. You have been campaigning for Ukraine’s accession to the EU for many years. Do you see the chance now?
Timoschenko: The question is rather, why haven’t we been a member for a long time? The reason is that some European leaders did not want to damage their relations with Vladimir Putin and Russia. But in my opinion there is a clear connection between the war and the discussion about EU candidate status. It’s not a new goal for Ukrainians. They have long since clearly stated their will to become part of Europe again. That is why Putin started the war. We are the only country that today pays with the lives of its citizens and with their blood for the desire to return to the European homeland.
Opinions remain divided in the EU. Germany and France, for example, regularly dampen hopes that Ukraine will join the EU quickly.
Timoschenko: When the massacres by the Russian military in Bucha became known, the EU generally responded positively to Ukraine’s request. Everyone was so shocked by the high number of casualties. But now a few weeks have passed and suddenly we are beginning to hear that the time has not come after all. That they want to create a union that is specifically tailored to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron, citing a process that could take decades, suggested creating a “European political community” for Ukraine and other candidate countries rather than quick accession.
Timoschenko: Yes, but we don’t want a replacement. We do not want a special European ghetto to be created for Ukraine. We will not accept that. The moment has come to confront the Kremlin and its blackmail. It’s a choice between values and the price one is willing to pay. It’s time to prove that all the talk about values is real.
Corruption is considered to be the biggest hurdle preventing Ukraine from getting any closer to EU membership.
Timoschenko: Unfortunately, if we are honest, there is corruption in many countries. You always get this standard argument of corruption when someone tries to find an explanation why Ukraine is not accepted. The real reason is Putin’s veto power. But now the moment of truth is approaching. And corruption hasn’t been talked about much since the EU countries decided that Ukraine deserved candidate status.
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Nevertheless, the EU Court of Auditors found in 2021 that “oligarchs and interest groups continue to undermine the rule of law in Ukraine”. How can this problem be eradicated?
Timoschenko: Of course, as part of the former Soviet Union, Ukraine has corruption. This has to do with the quality of the institutions. I accept that we must fight corruption, but I protest when it is used as an excuse not to give the candidate status the green light. Thanks to the association agreement with the EU, we have already managed to reform some institutions, a special anti-corruption body has been set up, standards have changed. I wouldn’t say there hasn’t been progress in this regard.
Germany has been sharply criticized at international level in recent months. For its energy dependence on Russia and for many too hesitant to proceed with arms deliveries and sanctions.
Timoschenko: I have always praised the German government. We have always had cordial and constructive relations with Germany. Angela Merkel was a very strong chancellor in her time, a true friend of Ukraine. I think it will stay that way.
Even though she was one of the driving forces behind Ukraine’s NATO membership in 2008?
Timoschenko: This was a tragic and far-reaching mistake. At the time, as Prime Minister, I signed the motion. If NATO had accepted Ukraine, there would never have been a war. But there is always a chance to correct mistakes.
That sounds very forgiving. Do you have a similar understanding of the current government?
Timoschenko: The German economy is closely intertwined with Russia and dependent on Russian resources. Of course, this complicates political decisions regarding energy embargoes or sanctions. But Germany made such a decision in principle, it supports Ukraine’s EU candidate status and will supply arms to help Ukraine win. That shows that Germany’s position is changing radically. It’s a political earthquake.
The so-called turning point triggered many discussions in Germany. What do you answer the skeptics?
Timoschenko: It is in Germany’s interest to end this war with a victory for Ukraine as quickly as possible. The sooner the Kremlin regime collapses, the sooner Germans will find their way back to the normal state of their lives. But for Putin’s aggressive regime to collapse, it needs a dramatic increase in arms supplies and maximum sanctions. Funds are fueling this war. Every day Russia receives up to one billion euros from the EU for its energy resources. This means that Russia can continue the war almost indefinitely unless this cash flow is stopped or significantly reduced. Of course, the sanctions imposed are a double-edged sword. The countries that are more dependent on Russia are forced to make more sacrifices. We Ukrainians appreciate this change very much because we understand the pain and burden it brings. But helping Ukraine means saving Europe.
You want to travel to Berlin soon. Is this the message you bring with you?
Timoschenko: I want to tell the government that they have the opportunity to change the course of European history. That the country must free itself from the dependency that Russia is using to blackmail it. Germany holds the future and destiny of Europe in its hands. It is crucially dependent on Germany that this war ends, that there are no sanctions and that there are no more wars in the future. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate leadership, including moral leadership. All countries that Russia is trying to conquer should be part of the defense agreement. That would close the door to any future war. Putin will not wage war against NATO.
When you talk about victory, what do you mean specifically?
Timoschenko: A complete defeat of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine and the return of Ukrainian territory back to the state-recognized borders. Victory would mean restoring Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty and saving the Ukrainian people from genocide. And as a consequence, membership in the EU and NATO would follow. That would be a complete victory.
Can you imagine concessions from Ukraine to end the war early, as some Western political actors are demanding?
Timoschenko: Give me an example. Should we give up Crimea and Donbass? In two years, Putin would come and say: That’s not enough, give me half of Ukraine. And again two years later he would also demand Kyiv. How can one expect to pay an aggressor and murderer with land? That is illogical. It would not end the war, not in Donbass, not in Crimea. Because he not only wants to appropriate the country, but also our history, our culture. He doesn’t see Ukrainians as a nation that deserves to exist. How could we allow him to reach his goal? How could the entire free world allow an entire people to be wiped out in the middle of Europe?
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