AND MANY ALSO WANT TO PRESERVE
SOME OF THE CULTURAL LEGACY THAT
DEFINES THEIR NATION.
WE TURN NOW TO UKRAINE'S
MINISTER OF CULTURE AND
INFORMATION POLICY.
I'LL NOTE THAT HE IS INSIDE
UKRAINE AT A LOCATION THAT IS
NOT GOING TO BE DISCLOSED,
REJOINING US IS AMBASSADOR
WILLIAM TAYLOR.
MINISTER, TELL US ABOUT ANYTHING
YOU CAN REGARDING WHAT YOU'RE
SEEING.
WE'VE GOT OUR REPORTERS IN THE
FIELD, BUT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AS
A MEMBER OF THIS GOVERNMENT AND
THEN ALSO THIS EFFORT TO DEAL
WITH THE CULTURAL AND HISTORIC
LEGACY THAT'S ALSO UNDER ATTACK.
>> THE SITUATION IS BAD AS
YOU'VE NOW DESCRIBED BECAUSE
PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING, BECAUSE OF
AGGRESSION.
THE SITUATION IS GOOD BECAUSE WE
ARE FIGHTING.
WE ARE IN THE RESISTANCE, AND
THE SITUATION WILL BE GOOD BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO WIN.
BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO WIN.
OF COURSE PART OF MY DUTY IS TO
HELP TO SECURE CULTURAL
HERITAGE, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY PUTIN INVADED
BECAUSE HE IS A GREAT SPECIALIST
IN HISTORY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME
WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT
PUTIN IS A KGB MAN, AND THE
FIRST TASK OF KGB MEN IS TO
SPREAD DISINFORMATION.
ABOUT HISTORY, WHATEVER ELSE.
HE ACHIEVED A RESULT, THIS
INFORMATION IS NOW SPREAD
THROUGH HIS MEDIA.
AFTER 22 YEARS OF RUNNING THIS
COUNTRY, THIS INFORMATION BECAME
A WEAPON, MANIPULATION BECAME A
SYSTEMATIC MECHANISM OF KILLING
PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHY TODAY WHEN I MET MY
COLLEAGUES EU MINISTERS OF
CULTURE AND MEDIA, I ASKED THEM
TO CONTINUE SANCTION POLICY, AND
NOW AGAINST RUSSIAN CHANNELS
THAT NEED TO BE SWITCHED OFF
FROM SATELLITE PLATFORMS AND
INSTEAD WE PROPOSE TO SWITCH ON
UKRAINIAN CHANNELS AND RUSSIAN
SPEAKING CHANNELS WHICH WE ARE
WILLING TO DO WITH OPPOSITION
RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS.
>> AND STAY WITH ME, I WANT TO
BRING IN AMBASSADOR TAYLOR TO
THE CONVERSATION WHO SPENT TIME
IN THE COUNTRY.
I'M CURIOUS YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THIS ASPECT OF IT, AMBASSADOR,
AS WELL AS ANYTHING IF YOU
CHOOSE THAT YOU WANT TO SAY OR
ASK YOUR COUNTERPART THERE.
>> THANK YOU, ARI.
MINISTER, CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL
THAT WORK, CONGRATULATIONS ON
BEING A REPRESENTATIVE, A LEADER
OF ONE OF THE MOST BRAVE NATIONS
IN THE WORLD.
YOU ARE -- THE UKRAINIANS ARE
SHOWING WHAT IT MAENSEANS TO DEF
THEMSELVES, DEFEND THEIR
SOVEREIGNTY, DEFEND THEIR
FREEDOM, AND YOU, MINISTER, AND
ALL UKRAINIANS ARE ON THE FRONT
LINE.
YOU'RE ON THE FRONT LINE FOR
EUROPE.
YOU'RE ON THE FRONT LINE FOR
DEMOCRATIC WORLD, SO THAT IS
CONGRATULATIONS.
I'VE BEEN -- MANY OF US HAVE
BEEN THROUGH THE GLORIOUS
CULTURAL ASPECT IN THESE
BUILDINGS, THESE CATHEDRALS,
THAT UPPER HOUSE YOU JUST
SHOWED, ARI, IT A's SPECTACULAR
SPECTACULAR -- IT WAS JUST
REDONE, I SAY JUST REDONE, WHEN
I WAS THERE, I VISITED WHEN IT
WAS JUST REFINISHED, AND IT IS A
SPECTACULAR WORK OF ART.
THE CITY OF KYIV HAS JUST
GORGEOUS BUILDINGS, THE KA THAED
CATHEDRALS, ST. SOPHIA'S
CATHEDRAL, ARI, GOES BACK TO THE
TENTH CENTURY.
IT'S BEEN REDONE A COUPLE OF
TIMES SINCE THEN, BUT THAT IS --
THAT'S HISTORY, AND THAT'S
UKRAINIAN HISTORY.
IT'S NOT RUSSIAN HISTORY.
IN THE TENTH CENTURY WHEN ST.
SOPHIA'S WAS BUILT, MOSCOW WAS A
FOREST, ARI.
THERE WAS NO MOSCOW.
THERE WAS NO RUSSIA.
THIS IS UKRAINE.
AND THEY ARE PROUD.
YOU HEARD IT IN THE MINISTER,
THE MINISTER IS EXACTLY RIGHT.
I AGREE WITH HIM TOTALLY.
UKRAINE IS GOING TO WIN, IT'S
GOING TO PREVAIL IN THIS
CONFLICT.
>> YEAH, GO AHEAD, SIR.
>> I WANT TO ADD TO MR.
AMBASSADOR IS THAT UKRAINIAN
CULTURE HERITAGE IS NOW UNDER
THREAT, THE THREAT TO BOMB ST.
SOPHIA AS THEY RUINED SEVERAL
MAW SOOEMEEMS, AS THEY RUINED
KHARKIV, IT WAS BOMBED, ONE OF
THE CHURCHES IN KHARKIV, AND SO
WE'RE NOW TRYING TO PRESERVE
SOME CULTURAL HERITAGE, BUT THE
ISSUES THAT -- THE POLICY OF
PUTIN IS TO TAKE THE HISTORY AND
THE HERITAGE TO HIS OWN HANDS,
AND I WAS LEARNED AS SOVIETS
SCHOLAR WHERE BIG RUSSIA CAME
FROM, AND THEY CONTINUE THIS
THAT EVERYTHING THEY WANT TO
ACHIEVE IS TO TAKE WHAT DOESN'T
BELONG TO THEM.
UKRAINIAN HISTORY, UKRAINIAN HERITAGE, UKRAINIAN WRITERS, AND
HERITAGE, UKRAINIAN WRITERS, AND
TAKE IT TO THEIR OWN.
THAT'S AN EXCUSE WHY THEY KNEADN
TO LIBERATE US.
THANK YOU, WE DON'T NEED SUCH
LIBERATION
LIBERATION.
>> MINISTER TSASHENKO, YOU
MENTIONED THAT, YOUR REBUTTAL TO
THE WAY PUTIN IS TRYING TO
DESCRIBE IT FOR HIS INTERNAL
CONSUMPTION OR HIS INTERNATIONAL
PROPAGANDA, WHAT ELSE DO YOU
THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO
UNDERSTAND ABOUT UKRAINE'S
HISTORY -- WHICH I THINK
LISTENERS CAN UNDERSTAND IS PART
OF YOUR MANDATE, YOUR BRIEF
THERE -- AS ITS OWN SOVEREIGN
AND ITS OWN CULTURE, WHICH
STANDS AGAINST THE CLAIMS OF THE
PUTIN GOVERNMENT THAT SOMEHOW IT
IS REUNITING OR RECONSTITUTING
WHAT HE HAS PUBLICLY CLAIMED IS
ONE STATE OF GREATER RUSSIA?
>> I CAN DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENT
HISTORICAL PERIODS OF ANCIENT,
OF PERIOD OF TIME IN 17th
CENTURY, HOW WE SUFFERED DURING
THE SOVIET RULE.
BUT THE MAIN IDENTIFICATION OF
UKRAINIANS ARE PEOPLE IN KHERSON
REGION, WHICH IS NOW OCCUPIED BY
RUSSIAN ARMY, WHEN THEY'RE
TALKING ABOUT LIBERATION OR
IDENTIFICATION AS RUSSIANS, SEE
HOW PEOPLE WRECKED WHEN RUSSIA
COMES ON THE STREET OF KHERSON.
THEY DON'T NEED SUCH FREEDOM.
WE CHOOSE TO GO TO BE FREE,
SEVERAL GOVERNMENTS, SEVERAL
PRESIDENTS.
WE HAVE FREE PRESS, SO WE WANT
TO BE PART OF EUROPE, OF WHICH
WE WAS DURING 1,000 YEARS.
SO THE VALUES IS IN THE SOIL AND
WHEN I WAS TEACHING SOVIET
SCHOOL, ONE STORY, I WAS
LEARNING A DIFFERENT STORY GIVEN
TO ME BY MY PARENTS AND GRANDMA,
AND IT WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
STORY.
THAT'S THE PART OF RUSSIAN
DISINFORMATION PROPAGANDISTIC
WAR TO TAKE TO THEIR OWN HANDS
THE HISTORY AND HERITAGE THAT
DOESN'T BELONG TO THEM.
>> UNDERSTOOD.
MINISTER, AS WELL AS AMBASSADOR
TAYLOR, I THANK YOU BOTH FOR
BEING PART OF OUR COVERAGE, TO
THE MINISTER AS WE SAY TO SO
MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE