Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna, told Newsmax on Wednesday that Russia is deliberately prolonging its war against Ukraine, even as Kyiv signals willingness to make difficult concessions to stop the fighting.
"Well, the very fact that I'm sitting here in front of you and representing independent, sovereign Ukraine, which still stands, and we're talking to you on the first day after the beginning of the fifth year since the war started, means that we never give up," Stefanishyna said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
"And we always eventually find the solution how to survive," she said.
Stefanishyna noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "has said that we are ready to stop on the existing line," calling it "a huge thing for Ukraine" that has "gone unnoticed."
"I think the message from Russia is very clear," she said. "They are choosing to continue the war. Every day they are not willing to agree on anything."
She criticized Russia's approach to negotiations under strongman Vladimir Putin, saying, "It's not a good way to negotiate when you're saying that, you know, we are going to move in a military way, but you can just sign it up on the paper."
Addressing Russia's battlefield losses and economic strain, Stefanishyna said Moscow has relied on foreign fighters to sustain its war effort.
"To endure on a front line, they had to onboard foreign soldiers like North Korean, Cuban, and even Chinese soldiers, which were becoming the prisoners of war in Ukraine. They were captured and killed in combat."
She added that Russia's war machine continues to be fueled by energy revenue.
"The major fuel of war is the benefits Russia gets from gas and oil. And as long as there are so many opportunities they still have around the globe, the longer they will endure," Stefanishyna said.
She also highlighted what she described as the widespread abduction of Ukrainian children by Russian forces.
"As of now, I can confirm that we have 20,000 verified files of the kids who were abducted," she said, adding that the real number is likely higher.
"That's a war crime," she said. "All of the abducted children should be unconditionally brought back to Ukraine because we are responsible for them. They have families, they have their homes."
She warned that "the longer the war is lasting, the longer Putin thinks that he can go unnoticed with continued crimes," including what she called the "horrific indoctrination and militarization of kids" in occupied territories.
While discussions continue about "to stop the hostilities, to stop the active war engagement," Stefanishyna stressed that "these crimes will never be forgotten and the accountability should follow."
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