Ukraine at OSCE: Russians can be expelled, but it depends on ammo stocks
Russian troops can be stopped and driven out of Ukrainian territory, but this depends on artillery shells and missiles available to Ukraine.
This was stated by the deputy head of the Ukrainian Mission to the OSCE, Viktoria Kuvshynnikova, who spoke before the OSCE Permanent Counci in Vienna on Thursday.
"The Russian dictatorship can be still stopped along the frontline running from the Kharkiv region to the Kherson region and forced to retreat beyond Ukraine’s borders. This depends on a number of artillery shells and missiles available for Ukraine. As simple as it is," the diplomat said.
The diplomat emphasized that this “would be the best investment to European future, security and prosperity” therefore today “is the time for strong decisions and responsible leadership”.
Kuvshynnikova recalled that, prior to the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the Russians had rejected the initiative of the then Polish chairmanship of the OSCE to renew dialogue on European security, hoping to seize Ukraine by force.
"Russia did so, as they were confident that Kyiv would be seized in three days and Russian tanks would be met with flowers in Ukraine. Nothing came true. And, after facing Ukraine’s resistance and resolve of the pro-Ukrainian coalition, it is clear why Russia would be happy to shift responsibility and get diplomatically what they failed to achieve militarily," the diplomat said.
She emphasized that Ukraine, like no one else, wants peace, and that is why Ukraine, together with its partners, is preparing for the Global Peace Summit to develop concrete plans on how to restore a just peace.
"And if the Kremlin is sincerely interested in peace, it can just order its troops to withdraw from Ukraine, beyond our internationally recognized borders. By one decision. To be made by one man. As simple as it is," Kuvshynnikova said.
In addition, the deputy head of the Ukrainian mission to the OSCE pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin in his yesterday's interview clearly addressed the issue of peace negotiations, saying that “it would be ridiculous for us to start negotiating with Ukraine just because it is running out of ammunition”.
“This is all we should remember about Russia’s attitude to diplomacy and peace... This proves time and again that Russia has not changed its goals – to destroy Ukraine’s statehood and subjugate Ukrainians," said the deputy chief of Ukraine’s Mission to the OSCE.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Eu officials are running an audit of how many weapons systems member states have actually donated to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion amid claims that some nations contributed less than they could.