>> RICHARD ENGEL WHO IS IN
EASTERN UKRAINE RIGHT NOW.
RICHARD, THANK YOU.
>>> JOINING ME NOW IS OKSANA
MARKAROVA.
SHE IS UKRAINE'S AMBASSADOR TO
THE UNITED STATES.
AMBASSADOR, WELCOME TO "MEET THE
PRESS."
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> LET ME START WITH THE
PRESIDENT'S REMARKS YESTERDAY,
AND I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOU THOUGHT
OF THE AD LIB REMARK WHICH HE
SAID, MY GOSH, MR. PUTIN CANNOT
REMAIN IN POWER.
HOW DID YOU RECEIVE THAT?
>> WE HEARD PRESIDENT BIDEN LOUD
AND CLEAR THAT, YES, WE'LL BE
WITH YOU IN UKRAINE FOR THIS
FIGHT.
WE CLEARLY UNDERSTAND IN UKRAINE
THAT ANYONE WHO IS A WAR
CRIMINAL, WHO ATTACKS
NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, WHO IS
DOING ALL THIS ATROCITY TOGETHER
WITH ALL IN RUSSIA INVOLVED
DEFINITELY CANNOT STAY IN POWER
IN A CIVILIZED WORLD.
IT'S UP TO ALL OF US TO STOP
PUTIN WHILE IT'S STILL IN
UKRAINE, BECAUSE THIS WAR IS NOT
ALL ABOUT UKRAINE, AND THIS
BRUTAL AGGRESSION THAT HAS GONE
ON FOR 33 DAYS NOW IN EVERY CITY
OF UKRAINE, AND ESPECIALLY IN
CITIES LIKE MARIUPOL AND KYIV
AND OTHERS, IT'S A BRUTAL
GENOCIDE, ATTEMPT TO ELIMINATE
OR EXTERMINATE UKRANIAN NATION,
BUT ALSO TO ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY,
ATTACK ON ANYONE WHO WANTS TO
LIVE PEACEFULLY IN THEIR OWN
COUNTRY.
>> PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SEEMED TO
SAY, HEY, WORDS ARE NICE, BUT WE
NEED MORE THAN JUST WORDS.
WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT THE WEST
TO DO?
WHAT ARE THE ASKS AND NOT
FULFILLING THESE ASKS, WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN TO UKRAINE'S ABILITY
TO FIGHT THIS WAR?
>> LOOK, LET'S LOOK AT THE
FACTS.
FOR 33 DAYS, UKRAINE HAS
DEFENDED ITSELF AND DEFENDED
EUROPE FROM ONE OF THE LARGEST
COUNTRIES, ONE OF THE
BRUTALEST -- MOST BRUTAL
COUNTRIES AND A NUCLEAR POWER IN
AN AUTOCRATIC STATE.
WE ARE ALREADY SURPRISED, MANY,
OF THE FACT THAT WE WILL NOT
SURRENDER, THAT WE ARE NOT ONLY
MOTIVATED TO DEFEND OUR HOMES,
BUT WE WILL STAND OUR GROUND AND
WE WILL DEFEND EVERY INCH OF OUR
TERRITORY.
WE NEED TOOLS AND WE NEED ALL
KINDS OF WEAPONS IN ORDER TO BE
ABLE TO DO SO.
SO WHILE WE'VE NEVER ASKED OUR
FRIENDS AND PARTNERS FOR BOOTS
ON THE GROUND, WE HAVE THE BEST
BOOTS ON THE GROUND --
>> YOU'RE NOT ASKING FOR
AMERICAN SOLDIERS.
>> WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR
AMERICAN SOLDIERS.
BUT WE NEED ALL THE SUPPORT WITH
ALL THE WEAPONS, INCLUDING THE
ANTI HIF
ANTI-AIR, INCLUDING THE
AIRPLANES, EVERYTHING TO STOP
THIS BRUTAL DESTRUCTION.
I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS AGAIN,
USE OF BOMBS, USE OF MISSILES,
USE OF PROHIBITED GENEVA
CONVENTION WEAPONS EVERYWHERE,
WE NEED, YOU KNOW, UNSTOPPABLE
FLOW OF SUPPLIES FROM EVERYONE
WHO IS WILLING TO GIVE IT TO US
IN ORDER TO WIN.
>> EARLIER THIS WEEK THERE WAS
AN ACCUSATION THAT RUSSIA WAS
USING PHOSPHORUS BOMBS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE THEY'VE
USED CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL
WEAPONS AGAINST UKRAINE.
>> WE HAVE CONFIRMED THERE IS NO
RED LINE FOR PUTIN AND HIS
CRONIES.
THEY ARE ATTACKING CHILDREN,
MATERNITY HOSPITALS, THEY'RE
DESTROYING SCHOOLS AND THEATERS.
WHAT WOULD STOP THEM?
>> WHAT IS THE STATE OF
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE RUSSIANS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, AS WE SAID
FROM THE BEGINNING, WE ARE READY
TO NEGOTIATE, WE ARE READY TO
NEGOTIATE THE HUMANITARIAN
CORRIDORS WHICH WE ARE TRYING TO
GET TO SAVE PEOPLE.
WE ARE READY TO NEGOTIATE ALWAYS
BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO
SURRENDER.
>> WHAT IS ON THE TABLE?
OBVIOUSLY THE RUSSIANS DON'T
WANT TO WALK AWAY WITH NOTHING.
AT THE SAME TIME PRESIDENT
ZELENSKYY HAS SAID THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF THIS COUNTRY,
WE'RE NOT SURRENDERING THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF THIS COUNTRY.
SO WHAT IS NEGOTIABLE, IN YOUR
VIEW?
>> THE NEGOTIATIONS DOES NOT
MEAN THAT UKRAINE IS READY TO
SURRENDER.
THE NEGOTIATIONS MEAN THERE
SHOULD BE A SOLUTION AND
DIPLOMATIC PRESSURE TO STOP
RUSSIA.
SO WE'RE NOT READY TO GIVE UP
OUR TERRITORIES, WE'RE NOT READY
TO GIVE UP OUR PEOPLE.
WE ARE ASKING EVERYONE WHO CAN
PUT PRESSURE ON PUTIN OR WHO CAN
HELP US TO BRING HIM TO THE
TABLE TO STOP THIS WAR.
>> CAN YOU IMAGINE EVER AGREEING
TO RECOGNIZE THE DONBAS REGION
AS AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC?
>> WELL, THERE IS NO INDEPENDENT
REPUBLICS ON THE TERRITORY OF
UKRAINE. RUSSIA ATTACKED US IN 2014.
RUSSIA ATTACKED US IN 2014.
RUSSIA ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED CRIMEA
AND PARTS OF DAMASK.
HE WAGED WAR ON THE INDEPENDENT
COUNTRY NOW, AND THE QUESTION IS
BIGGER THAN THAT.
IS THERE A RESPECT FOR
SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL
INTEGRITY, WHICH IS THE FIRM
BASIS FOR ANY U.N. OR NATIONAL
ORGANIZATION.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD ASK
UKRAINE WHAT WE'RE READY TO GIVE
UP IN ORDER FOR RUSSIA TO STOP
THIS AGGRESSION.
EACH OF US SHOULD BE ASKING,
WHAT ARE WE PREPARED TO DO TO
STOP IT?
IF WE LOSE THIS, IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT.
IF UKRAINE LOSES IT, IT'S NOT
ONLY UKRAINE IS LOST.
IT MEANS BRUTALITY, OLIGARCHY
AND WAR CRIMINALS PREVAIL ON OUR
PLANET.
>> LET ME GO BACK TO ALMOST THE
THING WE STARTED OUR
CONVERSATION WITH, WHICH IS, CAN
YOU LIVE NEXT DOOR TO SOMEBODY
WHO TRIED TO ELIMINATE YOU?
CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS ENDING IN
SOME FORM OF PEACE WITH PUTIN
LIVING NEXT DOOR?
>> WELL, LOOK, WE HAVE THE
EXPERIENCE IN EUROPE WITH WORLD
WAR II.
THERE WAS ANOTHER PUTIN OR
ANOTHER PUTIN AS A HITLER WHO
TRIED TO DO THIS, ATTACKED
SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES, CROSSED THE
BORDER, TRIED TO ELIMINATE, AND
THE FIRST WORLD WAR II CREATED A
NEW SECURITY SYSTEM, WHICH IS
APPARENTLY COLLAPSING RIGHT NOW.
SO UNLESS WE TOGETHER STOP PUTIN
AND CREATE NEW TYPE OF SECURITY
GUARANTEES, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT
GOING TO MOVE FROM THAT PLACE.
AND RUSSIA IS NOT.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT OUR
PROMISE TO TAKE IN 100,000
UKRAINIANS REFUGEES?
IS THAT ENOUGH?
CAN THIS HAPPEN SOONER RATHER
THAN LATER?
>> WE ALREADY SEE MORE THAN 3.6
MILLION REFUGEES IN EUROPE
EVERYWHERE.
IT'S MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN,
AND THE MAJORITY OF THEM WANT TO
GO BACK.
SO THE FOCUS FOR US IS
SANCTIONS, WEAPONS SO WE CAN
STOP PUTIN AND START REBUILDING
UKRAINE.
BUT, OF COURSE, WE ARE GRATEFUL
FOR EVERYONE, AND I'M GLAD THAT
THE U.S. IS JOINING ALSO THE
GROUP OF COUNTRIES THAT NOT ONLY
ARE HELPING US A LOT WITH
WEAPONS AND SANCTIONS BUT ALSO
OPENING THE DOORS FOR
UKRAINIANS.
NOW, IF IT'S GOING TO BE ENOUGH
OR NOT DEPENDS ON HOW QUICKLY WE
ALL ACT TO STOP THE WAR.
LET'S FOCUS ON THAT.
LET'S STOP THE WAR SO THAT THERE