“Oh my God! Wait a minute!” Iuliia Medel briefly interrupted the video conference with EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA as soon as the conversation started. Come back in a few seconds. “Sorry, I keep hearing sirens. I think I’m sane from listening to the warnings too much”. Medel talks to us from her apartment in Kiev, a city where life was more or less normal until suddenly the Russian missiles began to drop. Medel was the spokesperson for President Volodímir Zelenski until shortly before the start of the war and knows him well. He published a book about his experiences with the Ukrainian leader. “The battle of our lives” (Simon & Schuster UK publisher). For example, he describes a meeting between the president with a pacifist program (his campaign was based on the end of the war in Donbass) and the Russian Vladimir Putin. It reviews the situation of the occupied country and the possibilities of war. Medel also posts his vision of war daily to his 150,000 followers on Twitter.
Question: Those of you who know the President well, have you seen how he has changed in this wartime? Reply: The question is difficult. I think Zelensky has become stronger, tougher and more unshakable. He is very goal oriented and his only goal right now is to beat Russia.
Q: Why did you delay the counterattack? Not all guns arrived last week, but NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, He said almost all of them were already there. A: I think there was a communication problem. I think the offense was delayed in the first place because of logistics. It takes some time from the time the guns arrive until they are delivered or repaired (some arrive defective). Perhaps everything promised was fulfilled, but not everything reached the front. When I talk to political leaders, they get uncomfortable with everyone talking about it. When and how will the counterattack begin?. I think Zelensky didn’t want to be clear on when to start. This can hurt your chances of success. Finally, a lot of ammo is missing.
Q: What do you think Spain can help with right now? A: Ammo. This is now a very serious problem.. Of course we want the F-16, but the Ukrainian government knows that the F-16 will not come quickly: you need trained pilots, which takes a year or a half.
Q: Is the aid from Spain considered sufficient there? We fell on the gun taxpayers lists… A: I think I know how the president will react. It will be enough when we win. Until then, it will be insufficient. It is highly appreciated that Spain, a distant country, joins the community of countries supporting Ukraine. For Poland or the Baltics, this is a much more direct question.
Q: What state is the war in? A: We are at a very important moment. I’ve been talking to key members of the Government recently and have found a clear commitment to reaching a peace agreement. But they will not forget the occupied areas, the people living there, and the stolen children. Peace will not just be about an agreement, it should also be about justice and the triumph of international law. Recognized by the international community in 1991, Ukraine seeks the maximum: to liberate all its lands. What will be achieved will be seen.
Q: Can you tell us more about this spirit of negotiation? Should you start negotiations after seeing how the counterattack turned out? A: The first sure thing is to see how the counterattack unfolds. Zelensky wants to take back all the lands in 1991. But he also understands that a long war can backfire. The economy is bad and we are dependent on the West. It will be difficult for the West to support us financially on all fronts in the coming years. And it wants immigrants to return before they can establish their lives abroad. We heard that Zelensky was determined to end the war this year, and I know he is. We’ve been with government people before December who said they wanted complete peace. What will that peace be like? Depends on the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the support of our partners.
Q: Politically, does Zelensky’s government make any self-criticism? A: I did not talk to him about the self-criticism. But I think the politicians in Ukraine are rethinking their position before the war, based on agreements with Russia or Belarus. […] Questions about Kherson will also arise. About how such a big city of 300,000 people fell into the hands of the Russians so quickly and the fortifications were useless.
Q: Zelensky had to reform his government, mainly because of corruption related to military shipments. How can international donors be reassured that aid will not be stolen? A: Corruption is Ukraine’s biggest internal enemy. In a recent survey, 53% of Ukrainians believe corrupt politicians are worse than collaborators with Russia, and 84% believe we should expose corruption. A huge corruption case came to light this Tuesday. The head of Ukraine’s highest Supreme Court was arrested for corruption. They caught him for the bribe he wanted to take. 2.7 million dollars.