PRESS RELEASE : The liberation of the occupied territories of Ukraine depends not on what Russia thinks, but on our military potential – Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with the Associated Press [September 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 29 September 2022.

Ukraine is determined to return all territories temporarily occupied by Russia, despite sham referenda held there and threats by the Russian military-political leadership to use nuclear weapons. This was stated by Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with the Associated Press.

According to him, if Russia announces the annexation of the occupied territories of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine in the coming days, nothing will change on the battlefield.

“We will liberate our territory by military means. And our actions depend not so much on what the Russian Federation thinks or wants, but on the military potential Ukraine has,” said Mykhailo Podolyak.

He emphasized that it is vital for Ukraine to return all lands captured by Russia. And this is important not only for our country, but also for Ukraine’s European neighbors.

“Otherwise, Russia will feel that it has the right to blackmail the world, raise the stakes, escalate the conflict, and consider itself the winner in the brutal war against Europe,” the Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office is convinced.

Therefore, according to him, in order to ensure stability in Europe, it is necessary to completely liberate Ukrainian territory.

“This is the only safeguard against the further spread of the war,” Mykhailo Podolyak stressed.

Commenting on threats by Russian officials to use nuclear weapons, the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President said: “Of course, Ukraine takes it seriously, because we understand what kind of state we are dealing with.”

As Mykhailo Podolyak noted, threats from Russia cause concern not only in Ukraine, as a preventive nuclear strike could set a precedent for other countries in the world.

“If nuclear weapons are used now, in the XXI century, we will not close this Pandora’s box again. Because there are many unstable political regimes that will take advantage of this situation and start speculating on nuclear weapons and try to use them in one form or another, as they will think that this is permissible,” said the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President.

As a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team during the previous rounds of negotiations with Russia, Mykhailo Podolyak has low hopes for the possibility of meaningful negotiations with the Russian Federation in the near future. He doubts that Moscow is ready to adhere to its promises, and believes that Russian officials only want to buy time to regroup and strengthen their positions on the battlefield.

“Russia constantly talks about negotiations in an ultimatum style, but it only speaks to an external audience, as it wants to ensure pressure on Ukraine from the side of our partners,” summarized the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President.