UCC’s chief executive officer: Pressure on Kremlin, not Kyiv, is key to peace

International pressure, particularly from the United States, must be directed at Russia, not Ukraine, said Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), in an interview with CTV News.

“The pressure needs to be on Putin to ruin his economy, have his oligarchs arrested, and isolate Russia in ways it has not yet experienced,” Michalchyshyn said.

Moscow must pay for the war it instigated, including transferring all frozen assets to Ukraine for reconstruction, he added.

“That kind of ultimate pressure on Russia is what we believe will establish a peace deal and force it to the table. Right now, unfortunately, Putin is sitting back and doing nothing other than killing Ukrainians every night with his war machine,” Michalchyshyn said.

The UCC CEO noted progress in the peace process but stressed that the main challenge remains getting Russia to actually comply with the conditions of peace and end its aggression.

Support from allies, including Canada and the U.S., must remain strong and coordinated to create sufficient international pressure on the Kremlin to achieve a lasting solution, Michalchyshyn said.

“Canada brings a credible voice and an incredible level of support, showing that we stand with them. But again, all of this depends on putting more pressure on Russia, and Canada cannot do that alone,” he said.