Ihor Zhovkva said that "Russia will only win if the conflict in the Middle East gains momentum"

23.10.2023 0 By Writer.NS

Events in the Middle East are unfolding very quickly, and soon the situation may escalate even more. It is not for nothing that US President Joseph Biden in his speech to the Americans noted that Putin and Hamas are evils of the same field, because both forces and their henchmen shake the international order with wars against Ukraine and Israel. At the same time, there are already opinions that, having unanimously supported Israel, the West has lost the chance to establish communication with the Global South on the issue of Ukraine, writes lb.ua.

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President

How does our leadership assess the chances of the conflict growing in the Middle East? How can Russia take advantage of the terrorist war against Israel? Is it beneficial for Kyiv that both our state and Israel are the recipients of the US aid package? We asked the deputy head of the Office of the President Igor Zhovkva about this.

They also asked whether the commitment of the countries of the Global South to Ukraine really decreased. Separately, of course, we talked about the stage of negotiations on the peace formula, about which of its points our partners have questions about, and when exactly can the Global Peace Summit be held?

"There is a threat of escalation of the conflict in the Middle East"

What do Ukrainian analytical services say to the Office, is there a threat of escalation in the Middle East?

Such a threat exists, and it is not for nothing that the leaders of the leading world powers now visit Israel and neighboring Arab countries during their visits to prevent the spread of the conflict. They do not want other players to join the confrontation between Israel and Hamas. This would pose a threat not only to the security of the Middle East, but also to Europe. World leaders must unite and coordinate their efforts. President Zelenskyi held a series of talks with the leaders of the USA, France and Germany. Every conversation was about the situation in the Middle East region, how to proceed. Everyone must keep their finger on the pulse and not allow the situation to get out of control.

If it does happen, how will Russia use it and how will it affect European security?

Russia will only benefit if the conflict in the Middle East gains momentum. Moscow will certainly try to get its own benefit from this. One of the wishes of the Russian Federation is to ensure that the world focuses primarily on this region. Remember how Russian officials and experts rejoiced in the first days of the confrontation. Russia has already launched a narrative that the world will turn away from Ukraine, that it will concentrate on events in Israel. But the Russians can't do anything.

In his speech, President Biden said that the United States should support both Ukraine and Israel, because the forces that are fighting our countries are evil of the same order. The White House proposes to allocate a joint package of financial and defense aid that will go to Ukrainian and Israeli needs. How is this idea perceived in the Office?

We evaluate this decision of President Biden very positively. It will allow to provide assistance to both states as soon as possible.

The Financial Times wrote - and, by the way, this information was immediately picked up by Russian propaganda - that the war against Israel destroyed the chances of the West and Ukraine to unite the states of the Global South. Is it really so?

No. If it were so, the leaders of the Global South or their representatives would stop the dialogue with Ukraine. The other day, the president had a telephone conversation with the head of South Africa. On Saturday - with the President of Turkey. On Sunday - with the emir of Qatar. We are planning several more with the leaders of the Global South. We are currently preparing for a meeting of national security advisors in Malta. And there will definitely be representatives of the Global South.

Unfortunately, such articles are another example of the Russian narrative. Unfortunately, it is also picked up by such respected publications in the world.

"Nobody disputes that Russia's assets should not just be frozen, but used to restore Ukraine"

A few months ago, the Ukrainian side said that because of clause 7 of the peace formula (bringing the Russian leadership to justice), the partners have the most questions. Has anything changed since then?

We divided the work on the peace formula into several levels. The basic one is meetings in Kyiv on each point at the level of ambassadors or representatives of embassies. The latter was dedicated to the seventh. We talked about Russia's responsibility: the creation of a tribunal, compensation for damages, use of frozen assets. The largest number of embassies participated in this discussion compared to previous rounds of negotiations — almost 80 states were represented. In addition to the countries of the Global South, new participants were added. In particular, there was the ambassador of Israel.

The results of the meeting are very positive. For example, today no one doubts that the tribunal is necessary, there are only discussions about its format and mechanisms. Also, no one disputes that Russia's assets should not just be frozen, but used to restore Ukraine.

And what other points are problematic?

There are no problematic points, there are those in which a small number of countries are still involved. We are working to increase the number of countries in specific working groups.

There is, for example, a difficult point about the withdrawal of the aggressor's armed forces from the territory of Ukraine. Here, not all countries of the Global South are ready to join the working group to implement this issue.

In particular, China?

Probably, China is not ready to work objectively on this point. But if a country of the Global South joins one or two points out of ten and generally shares the philosophy of the peace formula, then we can say that this is a success for us. By the way, the representative of China was at the talks in Jeddah and clearly said that it is necessary to implement the peace formula.

I know that the representatives of Southeast Asia, in particular Indonesia, call on Ukraine to find common positions with the Chinese peace initiative. There is an opinion that it plays into the hands of Russia. What do they think about it in Kyiv?

All that in Chinese initiatives does not contradict common sense and the position that peace in Ukraine is unacceptable on Russian terms can be used. For example, there is a clause on respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of any state, including Ukraine. So how does this contradict the fifth point of our peace formula, in which the same thing is written? Chinese officials tell us that no nuclear power has the right to blackmail or threaten to use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear power. The same thing is said in our first point of the formula, which, by the way, also talks about the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of the Zaporizhia NPP, the largest in Europe.

However, Ukraine's basic position remains unchanged: we will take into account only those initiatives that do not contradict the Ukrainian peace formula. There can be no other formula for establishing peace in Ukraine.

The Chinese peace plan refers to the desire of the People's Republic of China to restore Ukraine. Is such an offer suitable for us?

It suits us when foreign partners participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Earlier, the Office said: if the UN does not support the peace formula, the catastrophe will not happen. Now the situation has changed, and we say: it is desirable that the Organization supports our peace plan. Is it possible to turn the formula into an effective international legal mechanism without the UN?

Last week, the President of Ukraine had a conversation with UN Secretary General António Guterres. The head of state raised the issue of the peace formula, and we heard from the UN Secretary General that the Organization will be involved in its implementation as an observer.

At the same time, we want other international institutions to be involved in the implementation of the formula. After all, the European Union could become a co-executor of the ten points. Diplomatic advisors of both the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission are present at each of our meetings. The more actors involved in implementation, the stronger global peace will be.

How many more rounds of negotiations should take place regarding the formula, and when does Ukraine plan to attend the Global Peace Summit?

At the end of October, advisers will meet in Malta, and we are currently diligently preparing for this. We set ourselves several tasks. The first thing is to approve each of the ten points of the formula. The second is to agree on action plans for the implementation of the formula. Third, we would really like to come to a decision on the place and date of the Global Peace Summit. We tell our partners about it. It is in our interest to hold this inaugural summit as soon as possible. He will initiate the implementation of each clause of the peace formula.

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