Chargé d'Affairs of the Ukrainian Embassy in Cairo to Al Jazeera Net: There is no return to the Russian umbrella, and we warn of the consequences of the continuation of the war

CAIRO -

The Chargé d'Affairs of Ukraine's ambassador to Cairo, Ruslan Nichai, expressed his hope that the major international sanctions imposed on Russia - along with the role of his country's army and the popular resistance - would succeed in ending what he described as Russian aggression, through diplomatic talks.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net, Nichai praised the role of the Egyptian authorities in supporting his country at the political and humanitarian levels, referring to the vote in favor of the resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly condemning the "aggression against Ukraine" and calling on Moscow to withdraw its forces immediately, as well as the decision to host tourists. Ukrainians stranded in Egypt, and then provide planes to transport them to Ukraine's neighboring countries.

The Chargé d'Affairs said that the Russian side is making misleading propaganda in order to justify the "invasion of Ukraine," adding that the embassy is confronting all these rumors, and is responding to them on the one hand, and on the other hand, it conveys a true picture of the situation in the country, and the tragic conditions it is witnessing as a result of the indiscriminate bombing on civilians, government institutions, and civilian facilities, according to his description.

Nichai warned of the consequences of prolonging the war, which would have negative repercussions on the rise in wheat, oil and gold prices, and the tourism movement from both countries to Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, calling on friendly countries to support and support his country in the great ordeal it is witnessing.

The following is the text of the interview:

Were you expecting the outbreak of war, or were you surprised?

Nobody expected that Russian President Vladimir Putin would wage war on Ukraine, and what happened was very difficult to understand, especially since Putin and Russian propaganda were promoting that the Russian and Ukrainian people are one.

Since the events of 2014, during which Russia annexed the Crimea and entered the border regions of "Donetsk" and "Lugansk" and after 8 years, Russian forces continue their aggression against Ukraine.

Were you prepared militarily for this war?

After the events of 2014, the Ukrainian forces at that time were not ready or ready for Russian aggression, but after 8 years the Ukrainian armed forces are in their best condition, ready to fully deter the aggression.

How do you see the position of friendly countries, especially the Middle East, including Egypt?

We need the help and support of our allies and friends. When talking about the role of the Arab world and Egypt, we welcome support at the political, economic and humanitarian levels. We all saw the vote in the United Nations General Assembly, and Egypt's support for the international resolution condemning the Russian aggression against our country.

At the moment there is another direction to strengthen humanitarian cooperation, we have here 20 thousand Ukrainian tourists in Egyptian resorts, and the Egyptian government is providing them with support, and there are efforts to transport them to countries neighboring Ukraine, and the Egyptian support is huge and large.

Is there coordination between the Egyptian and Ukrainian government in order to agree on the form of humanitarian support?

We are discussing this issue with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and they discussed providing humanitarian and medical aid.

Is there a media role for your embassy in Cairo to promote the official position on what you say is misleading propaganda by the Russian side?

The war continues at different levels, including the media level, and we are making all efforts at the embassy to provide accurate and correct information about the current events in Ukraine, and what cities are exposed to in terms of the firing of missiles and bombs on them, and the attack by planes and tanks on government facilities, hospitals and schools, and we are doing our best to clarify the truth to the parties. official in Egypt.

How does the war affect the tourism movement, especially with the increase in the number of tourists to Egypt during the past year?

True, Egypt attracted more Ukrainian tourists than ever last year, as their number reached about 1.3 million, and therefore we are trying with friends and allies to stop the Russian aggression in order to return to normal life, because the consequences of the war will affect all economic trends, as well as the conditions Arab communities, including Egyptian.

The war will also lead to stopping the flow of not only Ukrainian tourists, but Russian tourists as well, who will be affected by the economic repercussions on their country as a result of international sanctions and the ban on Russian flights to many countries of the world, and put pressure on Russia in all fields to stop its aggression.

We have seen a huge and unprecedented rise in wheat prices globally, and Ukraine is one of the wheat-exporting countries. How might this strategic crop be affected by the war?

Ukraine is a very important country in securing the needs of many Arab countries of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, and the consequences of the war will affect agricultural products, especially with the imposition of economic sanctions on Russia, and the rise in oil and gold prices, etc.

How do you expect the war to end.. Will it end with economic sanctions on Russia, or through the resistance of the Ukrainian army, or through the intervention of NATO, or through diplomatic solutions?

In the current circumstances, it is difficult to predict how the war in our country will end, but we expect it to end as soon as possible, and any war must end through official and diplomatic discussions. We expect the defense of the Ukrainian army, the defense of the popular resistance and the pressure of economic sanctions, an opportunity to impose talks Diplomacy for the end of the brutal Russian war.

Finally, do you expect to fall under Russian sovereignty again in any way?

Certainly not, it is impossible for Ukraine to return to living under the rule of Russia, and this is what Russian propaganda is trying to promote that we are one people and that the Ukrainian people will welcome the Russian army with roses and smiles.

But the whole world witnessed how Russian soldiers on the ground greeted us with resistance, and Ukraine is an independent state with full sovereignty.