In an interview with BNT: Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister calls for a full embargo on Russian oil and gas

In a special interview with BNT, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina called for a full European embargo on Russian gas and oil imports.

President Zelensky said that Ukraine has shown that it is part of the free world and a united Europe. Do you feel European support these days?

Olga Stefanishina: First of all, by fighting for the values, our soldiers and our people are fighting today and showing that resistance, which actually gives me and you the opportunity to stand together under the peaceful sky of the city of Kiev. We feel this solidarity. We feel the sense of solidarity, we see the extent to which EU governments are committed to supporting Ukraine with militarily assistance by supporting sanctions. It is really important that we all join forces to stop the autocratic terrorist actions taking place at this moment in the centre of Europe. So that support is there.

The question is whether this support is sufficient for Ukraine to resist this invasion and to repel it?

Olga Stefanishina: The support will be enough the day the last Russian soldier leaves the territory of my country. Until then, no support will be enough.

We were all expecting the European Union to negotiate a sixth package of sanctions against Russia, and even to gradually stop using Russian oil. However, some European countries have opposed this decision. What would you like to say to them?

Olga Stefanishina: Fundamentally, Ukraine has been pushing for a complete embargo on Russian gas and oil by EU countries, for a long time, since the very beginning of this war, because the message is really clear and is set out in an official document of the Russian Federation, according to which gas serves as a major instrument of geopolitical influence and a major instrument for financing terrorism and military aggression and the killing of civilians in Ukraine. We understand that this decision is indeed complicated, but in view of the strategic objective of abandoning gas altogether by 2030, this decision is a sign of solidarity that not only stops aggression against Ukraine, but also leaves no room for manoeuvre for Russia to blackmail and use the tools in their countries. We know that countries such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Croatia and Hungary are heavily dependent on gas. But what we take into account in these decisions are two elements. Firstly, there are the strategic sanctions stopping the war in Ukraine. Secondly, Bulgaria and the other countries are supported by the 27-member state Union, and I am sure that they will find a solution to make sure that there is no political pressure through gas from Russia. But so that the citizens of your country and many other countries across the EU do not suffer from the lack of resources.

How long will the accelerated negotiation process between the European Union and Ukraine take?

Olga Stefanishina: We are very inspired because we now know that, based on the Eurobarometer data in all 27 capitals of the European Union, citizens and people support Ukraine becoming part of the European Union. We hope that the leaders of these countries, even the sceptical countries, will listen to the voice of their peoples and make the right decisions, even though politically most of the countries of the European Union have already declared their support for Ukraine's European aspirations. And we, as a country, have done our best over the last eight years to make sure that we are prepared to become a candidate to join EU. So we hope that the decision in June, which we expect, will be positive for my country, and I can assure you that we have done our best to make sure that we are prepared for that.

What are your reasons for believing that they will take a decision in June?

Olga Stefanishina: Times have changed significantly. In these two months the whole story is changing and we thought there would be no heavy sanctions. Without that, we will not get enough weapons. But now there's the Ramstein meeting and we, by and large, understand that today, on May 9, President Biden will sign the Arms Lend-Lease Act and it's very likely that the embargo agreement will be there. And we ourselves are an example of political mistakes made in the past. So we also want to avoid Bucharest, when the decision on NATO was not taken but only promised, which led to three wars, two of them on our territory. Our commitment is there. The will of our people is there. We are more European and more inspiring than many of those who await us in this family. So we are positive because we now know that this decision on candidate status requires nothing but the political will of leaders who are already backed by their peoples.

That was my next question, about military aid. You said through your video participation in the conference in Sofia that you need weapons. Did you get them from the West? Are they enough?

Olga Stefanishina: Yes, we receive military aid. The decision to lend weapons will be implemented very soon. We hope that Germany will follow suit and implement the same procedure for providing lethal weapons support to the Ukrainian armed forces. It is now essential to obtain the necessary heavy weapons quickly and in the quantity that we need, while we need them, as the Russian army is currently concentrating very serious forces in the eastern and south-eastern parts of Ukraine. There is a high concentration of military equipment of the active armed forces. They have access through Crimea and the Russian border. So the more prepared we are to defend our territory, the more options we have, the fewer soldiers will die, the fewer civilians will die, the fewer cities will be under occupation. That is our goal, and we are sure that we should be supported as much as we need and as long as we need.

Do you maintain your desire to join NATO?

Olga Stefanishina: We submitted our membership application back in 2008 and we have never withdrawn it. So it is there and if there is a decision of NATO leaders, it can be accepted at any time.

Do you think that the Nordic countries and Moldova should reconsider their policy of not joining blocs and their neutrality?

Olga Stefanishina: That is their decision, but Sweden and Finland have been very clear and firm in their position and this war and the unprovoked military aggression against civilians has shown that there is no possibility of neutrality in this world at all. So this is not about wartime. This is about a way of life and about defending ourselves. Accordingly, these countries have made their choice, and I hope that the decision will be taken quickly in order to avoid a situation with promises leading to war, as unfortunately happened to my country.

Bulgaria has decided not to send weapons to Ukraine. Instead, it decided to repair military equipment in Bulgaria. Is that satisfactory to you?

Olga Stefanishina: We understand the complexity of the internal situation and the agenda in each individual country, and the Bulgarian Prime Minister was in Kiev very recently, and I was with him, in Bucha as well. And he saw this with his own eyes, he saw that basically these are cities like Sofia or others in Bulgaria that could be affected by the war. I am sure that your country is doing a lot to help with the resources that are available at this stage, and we hope that making a strategic decision and supporting the consensus on the gas and oil embargo will be strategic in protecting my country and shortening the timeframe for achieving victory, but it will also be a strategic decision for Bulgaria to free itself from political influence, blackmail and to return to the family of 27 nations in solidarity, which now ensures that this country will not be left without resources for its citizens.

BNT's special envoys Alexander Markov, camera operator Stanislav Zlatev and video technician Todor Iliev are in Kiev, where they report the consequences of the war.

Today they reported from the residential district of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, where there is also serious destruction from rocket fire. A car tyre factory and a shopping centre have been destroyed as the explosion melted the metal on their structures and the shockwave has also affected surrounding buildings.

This night in Kiev has passed relatively calmly, and people are slowly beginning to return to the city, following the call of the local authorities, our envoys said.

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