Chairperson of the Aspen Institute Kyiv Supervisory Board Natalie Jaresko: “If you look at the colonial power of the Russian Federation as it is mutilating and abusing on a global scale, you would find yourself in your own interest”

Natalie Jaresko is Chairperson of the Aspen Institute Kyiv Supervisory Board and Minister of Finance of Ukraine (2014 — 2016). Ms. Jaresko was one of the speakers of twelfth Ukrainian Dialogue discussion, which was held by Aspen Institute Kyiv and Aspen Initiative Africa. Natalie stressed that the best way for countries that are choosing between neutrality and empathy for Ukraine is to choose their interest. 

The precedent of illegal Russia-Ukraine war violates international rules post World War II that maintained the peace to a large extent

Since the first days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has not stopped killing Ukrainian civilians, destroying schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure facilities. As President Zelensky said, to justify their strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure Russians are spreading disinformation about a “dirty bomb” during the last couple of days. For its part, Russia also uses nuclear, food and energy blackmail against Ukraine and all of the civilized world.

During her speech at the Ukrainian Dialogue event, Natalie Jaresko argued that the precedent of this illegal war violates post World War II international rules that maintained the peace to a large extent, as well as the  hopes that people all over the world have for nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. 

— If a nuclear country such as Ukraine, the second largest holder of the nuclear weapons in the final days of the Soviet Union, gave up its nuclear weapons voluntarily in the efforts to join the world of nonproliferation and  to make the world a safer place was in return given security assurances in the Budapest Memorandum are now devoid in fact of one of the signatures. Russia subsequently invades the country. Therefore, how can we work together on the safety of the globe, on nonproliferation of nuclear weapons?

Russia is a colonial power trying to enforce its colonialism on Ukraine

Natalie says that it is important to look at Russia as it is. This country is a colonial power and extending Africa’s recent history to a large degree to shade the vestiges of colonialism. 

— It should be a unity with Ukraine to see that this is what is happening. Russia is a colonial power trying to enforce its colonialism on Ukraine. There are hundreds of years of history: Russian Tsarist Empire, Soviet Union and now the Russian Federation.

Supporting Ukraine in trying to achieve a full and immediate peace, territorial inviolability and sovereignty

Natalie stressed that humanitarian crisis, tortures, murderers that Russia causes are crimes. She asked for the empathy of all people who understand this. The precedent caused by the Russia-Ukraine war could violate everything that is dear to the African continent’s peace and to its potential development, as well as to its further rise and economic power. This is not exclusively to the African continent but to the whole world. 

— If you look at the colonial power of the Russian federation as it is mutilating and abusing on a global scale, you would find yourself in your own interest. Try to work with Ukraine through the UN, to the extent that it has a voice, a power and its potential. However, beyond the UN, support Ukraine in trying to achieve a full and immediate peace, territorial inviolability and sovereignty.