The end of the year 2022. Ukrainians around the world and the war in Ukraine, and displaced persons in Australia. I 1932 and 1933, millions of Ukrainians were killed in the Holodomor, a man-made famine engineered by the Soviet government of Josef Stalin. On the night of Feb. 23 to 24, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine. Today president Putin wants Ukraine defeated.
Bogdan Rudnytski of SBS Ukrainian interviewed Stefan Romaniw, OAM, First Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress, and Co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations.
Mr. Stefan Romaniw said “President Joe Biden’s announcement, during the first international visit by President Zelensky since the Russian invasion, shows the U.S.’ deepening commitment to Ukraine and a move to send more sophisticated weapons systems to the battlefield.
“We hope the Australian Government also considers increasing military aid to Ukraine. We are grateful for the Australian military aid already pledged. But I had recent meetings with Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister and other senior Government officials whilst I was in Ukraine last week. They all repeated the same thing – Ukraine will win this war, but only if it receives more military aid, with speed.”
“I know that Australians share the same values in this fight against aggression and tyranny. They know this invasion is illegal and unwarranted. They understand that the Ukrainian people have a democratic right to choose their leader and their government. And they agree that Australia must stand up for what’s right,” said Mr. Romaniw.
Listen to the full interview on the SBS Ukrainian site.
