Ukraine will not agree to Russia's ultimatums in an "unequal war" waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose aim is to expand his empire and "try to wipe us off the face of the earth," former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told Newsmax TV's Sarah Williamson on Thursday.
"Every day this war kills our children," Tymoshenko, a current member of the Ukrainian parliament, said.
"There is no explanation for this war," she said. "It's just Putin's desire to expand his empire. Peaceful, democratic Ukraine has chosen the western path of development. We will not forgive them. Today our children, our families are being shot. Schools, kindergartens, hospitals, maternity hospitals, and residential buildings are being bombed. They are trying to wipe us off the face of the earth. But we are very courageous, and we defend our right to live."
Tymoshenko said the Russian Federation on Thursday claimed it was "ready for negotiations."
But "the requirements are incredible for Ukraine," she told Newsmax.
"We must renounce our territorial integrity, refuse military cooperation with the Western world, we must recognize that the occupied territories belong to Russia, we must reduce our army.
"In fact, Russia demands capitulation. I want to say that Ukraine will not agree to ultimatums. We will fight for our country, and we will win."
The U.S. on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russia and said it would welcome 100,000 refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
President Joe Biden also called for Russia to be removed from the G-20, the group that represents 20 of the world's largest economies, and a senior administration official said the U.S. was prepared to offer more than $1 billion in new funding toward humanitarian assistance.
NATO, meanwhile, announced plans Wednesday to bolster the alliance's eastern front, saying Putin has made a "big mistake" by waging war in Ukraine.
Still, he ruled out the declaration of a no-fly zone and deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have pushed Russian troops back from the capital of Kyiv, and reversed Russian momentum in some parts of the south, according to reports.
They are outmanned, "but Ukraine is holding on to three important things," Tymoshenko said. "The first is fortitude, courage, heroism of our army, of every Ukrainian. Secondly, the whole free world united around Ukraine and the western world helps us a lot. United States, Great Britain, Canada and other countries help us a lot. I am very grateful to your country, the United States, for becoming a leader in organizing the world to help Ukraine. Thirdly, Ukraine will fight for its right to exist with all its might. The whole country has risen up in this struggle: from children to the elderly, from our military to ordinary citizens.
"And this war is not only for the military, it is a war of every Ukrainian. Our unity with each other, our unity with the world will be the key to victory. Although the forces in our armies are not equal."
Ukraine, she said, has become the center of the free world "and this is how we will be remembered in history."
"I think that the victory of Ukraine will be the victory of the forces of good over evil, tyranny, aggression," said Tymoshenko. "This victory is very important. After the victory, Ukraine, together with the free world, together with your country, will put an end to this evil, which is the aggressor country that went to war against us. We are going down in history as a country that, together with the free world, will put an end to this evil," from Russia, which has made "violence, aggression, and war the meaning of its life … that intimidates all European countries with World War III, nuclear attacks on the free world."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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