Azerbaijan Today’s interview with Mr. Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Committee of the Ukrainian parliament.

A.T.: Having considered third year of brutal war launched by the Russian Federation incumbent regime against sovereign and independent Ukraine, how you can evaluate the three-year war consequences and reality that is relevant to current Ukraine geopolitical and geostrategic implications?

O.M.: Ukraine has been waging war for its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russian aggression since 2014, and it has been 3 years since Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine. These years have been difficult but we continue to fight and, strategically speaking, Russia has already been defeated because it had failed to destroy Ukraine, to take Kyiv. The whole world can see that Russia has lost its status of great power on the world stage and that it proved much weaker than it had portrayed itself. Ukraine has destroyed around 90 per cent of the Russian military which has invaded Ukraine in 2022, and since WWII a part of Russian territory, part of the Kursk oblast, is under control of Ukrainian troops. Russia has also lost dominance in the Black Sea region.

A.T.: What are key factors that drive Ukraine to resist strongly and defend its territory against Russia’s aggressive military activities?

O.M.: First of all, our will to survive as a nation and to stay free. We are fighting for our homes and families. Russia is incapable to defeat us, to break down our resistance and will to remain free. 

A.T.: After new USA Administration came to power, we mean, President Donald Trump Administration, how do you consider emergence of ceasefire between warrior parties as the President Donald Trump preliminary has announced and how is to be effective in case of implementation?

O.M.: The key problem is Putin is not interested in peace and honest negotiations. His goal is to destroy us as a state and as a nation. He might agree only to a ceasefire which would allow him to regroup, to accumulate forces and to strike again. I hope that President Trump will understand it soon. He will also understand that Putin cannot be trusted as a partner in negotiations because he has violated all agreements before and doesn’t intend to abide by any agreements in the future. There is no sense at all to sit at the table of negotiations with such a person.

A.T.: Why incumbent Russian incumbent regime launched massive attrition into Ukraine and what were the reasons of the unjust and barbarian war game against Ukraine?

O.M.: Putin wants to deprive Ukrainians of the statehood, it subjugates Ukrainian nation, erase us from the map of the world and to restore Soviet Empire. Russia continues to be aggressive empire and remains to be a danger to all neighboring states. As George Kennan once said, “for Russia its neighbors can be either vassals or enemies”. 

A.T.: You are aware of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine started since 1997 when both nations created regional security organization GUAM and realized several energy security projects, including very attractive so-called “White Stream Gas Pipeline” project. Moreover, at present Azerbaijan at the very tragic period of time, Azerbaijan provided economic and humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people and nation. How do you assess the partnership provision and future Azeri-Ukrainian cooperation in time and after the war?

O.M.: Azerbaijan remains our strategic partner and we see very clearly that people in Azerbaijan are firmly on the side of Ukraine. As the case with downing by Russia of the Azerbaijani airplane illustrates, Russia cannot be trusted and it doesn’t care about human lives. 

We also see that Azerbaijan provides to Ukraine considerable humanitarian aid, for which we are grateful. People of Azerbaijan, and the government of Azerbaijan, very clearly see who is the agressor and who is the victim of the unprovoked aggression, and they support Ukraine as a victim of Russian aggression.

A.T.: How do you predict future of Ukraine after the war? 

O.M.: After the war we have a process of rebuilding our economy, which had been damaged by Russian aggression. And I’m sure that Azerbaijan will take part in this process.

At the same time I’m sure that Ukraine will be a NATO member and the EU member