Rome, June 7 (LaPresse) – “It is crucial that our partners, all those who have been so far, remain united. I believe the United States must clearly say whether they stand with dictators or with democracy; it is a choice with no shades of grey.” This was stated in an interview with La Stampa by the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko. Putin talks about compromises but he means the compromises we should make by giving up the territories Russians occupy but do not fully control. In short, a negotiation totally biased towards Ukrainian rollback. “I do not think this is acceptable,” he adds, “unfortunately the Russian president only understands the language of force, and it is necessary to be strong. It is us, not them, who must set the terms, and it would be unfair to make decisions that do not satisfy the population.”
Regarding the fatigue felt in some European capitals about supporting Kyiv, “We feel European, we are Europeans despite Putin’s claim that we belong to the Russian empire,” argues the mayor of Kyiv. “No one here wants to return to the past. That’s why we cannot give up; we fight for our European future and, strengthened by the reforms a democracy needs, we hope one day to be the shining star on the EU flag.”
© Copyright LaPresse
