Marta Barandiy: Ukraine Asking for Weapons to Defend Itself, Not to Attack

Some speeches by Belgians show that while Ukraine is given moral support, few will be ready to fight for it in the future. “We call for investment in ceasefire regime through negotiations and active diplomacy,” said Ludo De Brabander, a spokesman for the Vrede association at a demonstration in Brussels.

Ukrainians present at the demonstration did not like the positioning. They were there to ask for military support for their country, repeating multiple appeals from President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We have the impression that many people coming to this demonstration for peace in Ukraine do not really understand the message this event conveys. In particular, the message is to supply no more weapons to Ukrainians,” says Marta Barandiy, President of NGO Promote Ukraine. “On the contrary, we ask to send weapons to Ukraine, but in order to defend ourselves, not to attack. We did not declare war. Putin did. I don’t think these participants have really pro-Russian views, but the message they convey serves Putin’s interests.”

According to the Ukrainians present, the pacifism appealed to by some Belgian associations is naive. What matters now in the war is the balance of power as in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The calls for peace, which sounded at this demonstration, in spite of all the circumstances, would actually lead to the disappearance of Ukraine, contrary to the rights of its people and solely in favour of the Kremlin.

The full text is available at Wort.lu