Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged countries in the international community to continue to apply sanctions against Russia, especially economic ones. Faced with the failure to send foreign troops to help Ukrainian soldiers against the Russian invasion, Ukraine has been left to rely on sanctions to weaken Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We call for a new round of sanctions against Russia. We want all the banks the excluded [do sistema internacional], it is necessary to stop the purchase of Russian oil. Russian oil smells like blood: Ukrainian oil. We see that many multinationals have left Russia, I commend these decisions. I ask that all companies stop investing in Russia”, said Kuleba, in an interview granted today (5). According to him, 113 multinationals have already left Russia.
Last Saturday (26), Western countries had already announced the freeze of Russia’s international reserves. In addition, Russian banks are being disconnected from the Swift platform, a payment system between financial institutions in more than 200 countries, coordinated by the central banks of the ten largest economies in the world. This measure further complicates the functioning of the Russian financial system by delaying the payment of commercial and financial transactions.
days later, the United States announced an increase in sanctions. The measures should affect companies operating in the defense sector of the Eurasian country. In addition, restrictions will be imposed on imports of technological goods from Russia’s main ally, Belarus, whose territory has been used by the Russian Armed Forces in attacks against Ukrainian targets.
In the interview, Kuleba also urged China and India to join efforts to stop the war and convince Putin to end the conflict. For the minister, the war is against China’s interests, as it affects international trade. India, according to him, is harmed because it is one of the main buyers of agricultural products from Ukraine and the war jeopardizes the next harvests.
“India has to ask Putin to stop this war. We are fighting because Putin does not recognize our right to exist.” Both India and China avoided taking a stand against Russia in the United Nations Security Council and refrained from passing a Resolution condemning the attack.
He also said that the Russian invasion does not detract from Ukraine’s desire to be part of the European Union. “Putin can drop bombs on us, but that will not change the Ukrainian people’s position of wanting to be part of the European Union.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has already asked for immediate accession to the bloc.
The Ukrainian chancellor also thanked the humanitarian aid that has been sent to the country. According to him, the Ukrainian community abroad managed to raise US$ 7.5 million. In addition, he recorded the receipt of 183 tons of humanitarian aid.
Kuleba denied preventing foreign students from leaving Ukraine. He stated that the country is providing assistance to these students and has created an emergency hotline for them to ask the embassies of their respective countries for help. Finally, the chancellor urged the world to learn from past mistakes and avoid a new war on the European continent.
“The world’s leaders need to show that this cannot happen again. Prove that you want this never to happen again, learn from the lessons of the past. This [a invasão russa] can lead the entire continent to devastation.”
