* A man on a mission
It’s a Tuesday, the 14th of November 2023. Kyiv, the capital city of besieged Ukraine, is cold wet with a drizzle – a good omen for a Motswana journalist about to encounter the President of this bold and daring country! The horror of war is palpable – images of buildings battered by bullets and shelling; collapsed bridges and destroyed monuments in Bucha, a Kyiv satellite town located north-west of the Ukrainian capital – ring in mind as we approach the high security area on Bankova Street.
On that day, Kostiantyn Moroz, the deputy Mayor of Borodyanka had recounted the nightmare of the first days when Russia began the full-scale war on Ukraine, and the many innocent Ukrainians and children that fell victim to the aggression.
We were treated to a judo painting depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin as Goliath and Zelensky as David and in the same area, observed the towering marble statue of famed poet and painter, Taras Shevchenko – both symbols of Ukrainian resistance.
The security check at the Office of President is meticulous and swift both at the main gate to the office building and inside before we take the escalator to the President’s office.
We are told not to take anything with us – no recording device, no cell-phones, not a pen or even a paper. We will be given pens and writing pads to take notes! We comply and are duly escorted to Zelensky’s boardroom.
For no more than half an hour, we wait here in the presence of the president’s press liaison and presidential guard.
Momentarily, the group of 15 African journalists lose their guard giving way to aimless banter – and at that precise moment, the huge gold-plated doors are opened and in comes the President.
He is a short man! That’s my first impression. He is not flanked by any security – that’s the second observation. He is dressed casually in his trademark gear, much similar to military fatigues, only that his is a T-shirt!
As we all rise on our feet, Zelensky does the most courteous thing – he goes around the big oval table shaking hands with each and every one of the journalists present.
When he takes to his seat, he speaks in his native Ukrainian. He expresses his gratitude for our taking an interest in Ukraine and visiting his country at this most difficult time, to see for ourselves how citizens cope in the midst of war.
They will not be defeated, he vows. That’s because they are defending themselves against colonialist Russia – they are fighting for their self-determination, independence and freedom and will not be deterred in this pursuit.
He says they have managed to hold off Russian troops’ advance into Kyiv – they have expelled the notorious Russian private military group, Wagner Group from Ukraine, survived blackouts after Russia’s troops destroyed their electricity grid; and have chased out Russia from the Black Sea-an indication that Russia no longer has any influence on food security.
His major concern is that they don’t have air defense capability which renders them vulnerable to Russia’s air attacks – as has happened at Odesa Port; he is also worried about their land being contaminated with landmines, thereby making it difficult to grow food.
They desperately need to de-mine the land, but they don’t have the technology. They are appealing to people of goodwill to remember them. The country’s treasury is directed towards the military spending hence other sectors of life suffer.
But they will not wince, they are determined to fight this war to the bitter end – if his generation does not win, their children or grand-children will continue. It is a war that they are determined to win, because if they don’t, Ukraine will cease to exist as an independent and sovereign state!
Zelensky worries that the war has fallen into a stalemate, what he calls a ‘frozen conflict’, a war without the possibility to repel the enemy.
But what about prospects for a peaceful settlement under his 10 points peace formula, the African presidents’ peace plan and Chinese president Xi Jinping’s peace plan?
Zelensky professes commitment to peace, but warns that it is not Ukraine that attacked Russia, hence the onus is on Russia to stop the war.
Of-course he is concerned by the dwindling financial aid from the United States and is alive to the impact that next year’s US elections could have on Ukraine’s leverage – but he derives confidence from the fact that it is Ukrainians who are fighting this war and not Americans!
He says other countries are providing assistance, and indeed during our stay in Kyiv, The United Kingdom’s newly-appointed foreign secretary, David Cameron visited Zelensky as did US defense secretary Lloyd Austin – both to reassure him of their countries’ support.
As we left the President’s office, I couldn’t help but marvel at the willpower of this pint-sized man, he is the true depiction of the maxim, ‘dynamites come in small packages’!
But how long, will he hold, is the question, as we approach the second year of the war next February? Or perchance, will the Divine intervene through its natural elements, to stop this war of attrition!
Only time will tell.
On that day, Kostiantyn Moroz, the deputy Mayor of Borodyanka had recounted the nightmare of the first days when Russia began the full-scale war on Ukraine, and the many innocent Ukrainians and children that fell victim to the aggression.
We were treated to a judo painting depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin as Goliath and Zelensky as David and in the same area, observed the towering marble statue of famed poet and painter, Taras Shevchenko – both symbols of Ukrainian resistance.
The security check at the Office of President is meticulous and swift both at the main gate to the office building and inside before we take the escalator to the President’s office.
We are told not to take anything with us – no recording device, no cell-phones, not a pen or even a paper. We will be given pens and writing pads to take notes! We comply and are duly escorted to Zelensky’s boardroom.
For no more than half an hour, we wait here in the presence of the president’s press liaison and presidential guard.
Momentarily, the group of 15 African journalists lose their guard giving way to aimless banter – and at that precise moment, the huge gold-plated doors are opened and in comes the President.
He is a short man! That’s my first impression. He is not flanked by any security – that’s the second observation. He is dressed casually in his trademark gear, much similar to military fatigues, only that his is a T-shirt!
As we all rise on our feet, Zelensky does the most courteous thing – he goes around the big oval table shaking hands with each and every one of the journalists present.
When he takes to his seat, he speaks in his native Ukrainian. He expresses his gratitude for our taking an interest in Ukraine and visiting his country at this most difficult time, to see for ourselves how citizens cope in the midst of war.
They will not be defeated, he vows. That’s because they are defending themselves against colonialist Russia – they are fighting for their self-determination, independence and freedom and will not be deterred in this pursuit.
He says they have managed to hold off Russian troops’ advance into Kyiv – they have expelled the notorious Russian private military group, Wagner Group from Ukraine, survived blackouts after Russia’s troops destroyed their electricity grid; and have chased out Russia from the Black Sea-an indication that Russia no longer has any influence on food security.
His major concern is that they don’t have air defense capability which renders them vulnerable to Russia’s air attacks – as has happened at Odesa Port; he is also worried about their land being contaminated with landmines, thereby making it difficult to grow food.
They desperately need to de-mine the land, but they don’t have the technology. They are appealing to people of goodwill to remember them. The country’s treasury is directed towards the military spending hence other sectors of life suffer.
But they will not wince, they are determined to fight this war to the bitter end – if his generation does not win, their children or grand-children will continue. It is a war that they are determined to win, because if they don’t, Ukraine will cease to exist as an independent and sovereign state!
Zelensky worries that the war has fallen into a stalemate, what he calls a ‘frozen conflict’, a war without the possibility to repel the enemy.
But what about prospects for a peaceful settlement under his 10 points peace formula, the African presidents’ peace plan and Chinese president Xi Jinping’s peace plan?
Zelensky professes commitment to peace, but warns that it is not Ukraine that attacked Russia, hence the onus is on Russia to stop the war.
Of-course he is concerned by the dwindling financial aid from the United States and is alive to the impact that next year’s US elections could have on Ukraine’s leverage – but he derives confidence from the fact that it is Ukrainians who are fighting this war and not Americans!
He says other countries are providing assistance, and indeed during our stay in Kyiv, The United Kingdom’s newly-appointed foreign secretary, David Cameron visited Zelensky as did US defense secretary Lloyd Austin – both to reassure him of their countries’ support.
As we left the President’s office, I couldn’t help but marvel at the willpower of this pint-sized man, he is the true depiction of the maxim, ‘dynamites come in small packages’!
But how long, will he hold, is the question, as we approach the second year of the war next February? Or perchance, will the Divine intervene through its natural elements, to stop this war of attrition!
Only time will tell.
