The next is a transcript of an interview with Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Dec. 15, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re joined now by the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova. Good to have you ever again with us.
UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. OKSANA MARKAROVA: Thanks for having me and blessed Sunday to all.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No Western Energy, as you understand, is sending troops to Ukraine to assist Ukrainian forces, however Russia’s received North Korean troops now who’re preventing on their aspect. Yesterday, President Zelensky stated Russia has been utilizing a big variety of North Koreans. How are they preventing?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Sure, so and we’re not asking for different troops. Ukrainians are nonetheless able to defending our personal nation. We’re asking for the army help. Yesterday, now we have seen these tens of 1000’s of troops that we have been warning the phrase about. We now have seen a whole bunch of them on the battlefield already, and we’re efficiently preventing with them as we’re preventing with the Russians. I imply, look we we see them now in Kursk Oblast solely, and our courageous defenders weren’t solely in a position to kill plenty of them, but in addition maintain the positions. So it is troublesome, after all, to see the reinforcement from this axis of evil, nevertheless it won’t change something for us. We are going to proceed defending the very lengthy line, whether or not it is in southern jap Ukraine or whether or not it is our defensive operation in Kursk.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And within the meantime, the North Korean troops are getting educated in Fashionable Warfare, they usually’re studying in Ukraine- I imply, proper there.
AMB. MARKAROVA: Completely. And we even have to fret about what’s it that Russia is promising and even delivering to North Korea in change for this and Korean missiles.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However I additionally raised the manpower situation as a result of it is an issue for Ukraine as properly. Army Recruitment is hard proper now in Ukraine. There was strain in your authorities by the US to decrease the draft age so that you could increase the variety of fighters. That is arguably a much bigger situation than the weaponry itself. Is it affecting the power of Ukraine to maintain up this struggle?
AMB. MARKAROVA: I would not agree that it is a greater situation than the tools itself. We nonetheless have, to start with, now we have a lot of younger individuals preventing for Ukraine, and they’re volunteering, and girls are volunteering. Ukraine is likely one of the international locations that lifted all restrictions for ladies, for instance, and now we have 60,000 of girls within the armed forces. With the recruitment, the final modifications to the regulation on mobilization already allowed us to create new brigades, which we’re coaching now. And the issue is to have sufficient tools to coach them on, in order that we will truly not ship to the battlefield like Russians do, proper, unprepared, whether or not it is North Korean to unprepared Russians, however to ship troopers who can do and ship on a mission. And it is essential for us, as a result of each individual issues for Ukrainians. In fact there are challenges, and now we have the plan and we all know tips on how to do it, as a result of once more, that is our residence we’re defending. So when it’s a necessity, all of us are going to be defending our nation, however weapons and having extra weapons, particularly lengthy vary, particularly one thing to counter this 3000 Glide bombs each month that Russians are sending in opposition to us.
There’s missiles for each Russian and North Korean missiles. I imply, it is nonetheless a query of artillery and weapons and air protection, most significantly, and the extra we will have, the quicker we can- the extra effectively we will defend.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, the Biden administration has been releasing extra weapons simply within the final week alone. However Donald Trump gave an interview to Time Journal, and he stated the US is escalating by permitting for weapons- missiles to be shot into Russian territory. He particularly targeted in on that. He doesn’t like that Ukraine is doing it. What does that imply for you on day one of many Trump administration?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Nicely, let me say, begin by saying thanks to all American individuals, actually, for standing with us all this time. Let me thank President Biden and his administration for all of the help. Let me thank President Trump. He’s the one who made a historic resolution to supply us with Javelins, truly, to supply us with deadly support within the first place–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –again in 2017.
AMB. MARKAROVA: Sure. So proper now, now we have to do every part so as to cease Russia. And we all know it’s- it may very well be stopped. It was just lately stopped in Syria. We liberated greater than 50% that they’ve taken. We truly kicked them out from the Black Sea, simply with our personal naval drone capabilities. They might, they- we will cease them the extra tools now we have, particularly together with the longer vary tools so as to have the ability to degrade the assault capabilities quicker, the quicker they are going to both come to the desk, as a result of, once more, Ukraine needs peace. No person needs peace greater than us. Ukraine was by no means an issue. We by no means initiated this battle, and we negotiated on the first sign- bear in mind, in 2022 when Russians began negotiations, they, after all, didn’t negotiate peace. They negotiated the pause. As we simply heard Congressman Waltz, who completely rightfully stated, it must be peace, not a pause.
MARGARET BRENNAN: He was cautious. He did not give plenty of specifics as to what the Trump coverage will likely be however we do know that Viktor Orban was at Mar-a-Lago this previous week, and he talks to Vladimir Putin, and he is speaking a few Christmas pause. Do you see an opportunity for a Christmas ceasefire and prisoner change?
AMB. MARKAROVA: That is very troublesome winter, after Russia destroyed our- plenty of our vitality infrastructure. And after you understand, we’re going by way of this troublesome fights, each on the entrance line, but in addition civilians affected by the lethal missile assaults–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –Simply this previous week.
AMB. MARKAROVA: Sure, on the similar time, you understand, each time Russia is speaking about some ceasefire, they’re mendacity. Russians are mendacity, and we see they weren’t in a position to defend their body- terrorist physique Assad, and he fled to Russia. And we see horrible atrocities in Sednaya Jail, like we see in Ukraine all over the place. It jogged my memory isolation jail in Donetsk–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Proper.
AMB. MARKAROVA: Which nonetheless is operational. So look, you understand, if Russia needs critically to cease it, they will cease it anytime.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, I’ve to depart it there. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
AMB. MARKAROVA: Thanks.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be again in a second.
