Biden's surprise visit to Kyiv is 'a true miracle,' says Ukrainian MP
‘For us, it means that our victory over Russia is closer,’ says Oleksandr Merezhko
Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko never thought he'd see a U.S. president on Ukrainian soil during war time.
That's why Joe Biden's surprise visit on Monday to Kyiv is a symbol of hope for the country as it heads into its second year of war with invading Russian forces, he said.
Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy on Monday at Mariinsky Palace in the nation's capital, and announced an additional $500 million US in assistance — including shells for howitzers, anti-tank missiles and air surveillance radars.
"One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you," Biden said.
Merezhko, chair of Ukraine's foreign affairs committee, spoke to As It Happens host Nil Köksal about what Biden's gesture means to his country. Here is part of their conversation.
Oleksandr, I know you caught a glimpse of President Biden from a distance earlier today. What did that feel like?
To me it felt [like] a miracle, [like] a true miracle. Because, in my mind, I [believed] that it's impossible for the president of the U.S., for safety, for security reasons, to come to Kyiv. And I understood that it's impossible. But deep down, I had this hope for [a] miracle. And this miracle happened.
To me it was a very emotional moment because … it gives a boost of hope or a boost of optimism.
For us, it means that our victory over Russia is closer.
I'm wondering how you think [Russian President] Vladimir Putin might react to this visit?
I'm sure that he will be in panic. He is in panic, actually. Because, to him, it's a sign of strong support and solidarity, not only by the President Biden and the United States, but by the whole democratic free world, with Ukraine.
Putin had hoped that there will be a split among Western countries, among NATO countries. And I view the visit of the President Biden as a strategic defeat for Putin.
The visit also comes with $500 million more [US] dollars in aid for Ukraine. What will that money help your country and its military do next?
For this war of attrition, we need more heavy weaponry to survive, to defend ourselves and to de-occupy [Russian-held] territories. And I hope that this money and military and technical support will help us to defeat Russia this year.
Is there a disappointment there, sir, that that money didn't come with more — more of the kinds of weapons and aid that Ukraine has been pushing for for some time?
No, I don't think that there is disappointment because we can see that the military assistance to Ukraine is only growing.
On the contrary, we are encouraged by this growth of support by the United States and other European partners.
In some of his remarks., U.S. President Biden spoke about, you know, what he was thinking a year ago ... at the start of the invasion. Would Kyiv still be there? Would Ukraine still be Ukraine? If you think back to one year ago, what were you thinking when the invasion started?
It was a very difficult moment for all of us.
I stayed in Kyiv with all my family, with my small children, and they stayed the whole time during the first months of a full-scale Russian invasion. And we were not scared, because we had to think about how to survive, how to defend ourselves, what should be done to mobilize our partners, our allies.
There was absolutely no fear. But we were determined to survive and to win. And the very fact that we have survived the whole year, that we continue to effectively repel Russian attacks and even continue to liberate our territories, it gives hope that this year will be victorious to us.
There is still a big struggle ahead, I think there's no denying that. And there's worry about a new Russian offensive. Does your military have what it needs to be able to beat back the Russian army even further?
First of all, we are grateful for all support and military aid, which we [have] already received. But of course, we need more. We need more, and we need it as soon as possible, because it's a matter of [the] lives of our soldiers and our civilian population.
But I am sure that having this support right now, we can start an effective counter-offensive and we can liberate the whole territory of Ukraine. It's just a matter of time and the matter of [the] price we have to pay.
How has this year changed you and your family, Oleksandr?
It was perhaps the most difficult year in my whole life. And, you know, of course it has changed me and my relatives, my family. We realized that we can fight and we can win. And, you know, I feel that the whole [of] Ukraine, all Ukrainian people, are victorious — that we became, I would say, the capital of the free world. And I'm proud of my country and my people.
[You've] lost a lot — you, your country and its people. How do you process that one year on? Can they handle one more year of this kind of devastation, this kind of onslaught?
We have no choice but to continue to fight, and we'll be fighting as long as it takes. To us, any kind of surrender or any kind of compromise at the expense of our territorial integrity, our sovereignty, is not an option. And we're determined to win, and I'm sure that we will win. It's just a matter of time.
Of course, we want to defeat Russia as soon as possible. But we are prepared for a long battle also.
What is it like in Kyiv every day now?
Right now, I would say that we can see more and more signs that life is getting back to normal. For example, during the last week, we didn't have blackouts … which is [a] small, but very important, sign of normality.
The symbolism, the photographs, the headlines that will come with Biden's visit, as you mentioned, it's a boost. But is it a one-day boost, or do you think this is something that will stay with Ukrainians for some time and fuel them?
It will definitely stand with us because, you know, the last visit by [an] American president took place 15 years ago in the year 2008, when the president [George W. Bush] came to visit Kyiv.
This visit has huge symbolic importance to us. It's something which makes our victory very close.
With files from The Associated Press. Interview produced by Chris Harbord. Q&A edited for length and clarity.
