Why does the US support Ukraine? Ambassador Bridget Brink knows the answer (2023)

Editor's note:Deseret News editor Doug Wilks, reporter Katie McKellar and photojournalist Scott Winterton travel with a trade and humanitarian delegation from Utah to Ukraine. This is the third in a series of reports.

US EMBASSY, Kiev, Ukraine - Hedgehogs, these heavy metal tripods, so famous during World War II, line the main streets and entrances to government buildings in Kiev, located near the sandbag bunkers in this Eastern European capital, which is now state of war with Russia.

Despite advances in technology, including drone armament and sophisticated air defense systems, there is still room for major obstacles to troop advance, such as those that occurred around this city during the devastating attacks on Irpin and Bucha almost 15 months ago. when Russia crossed the border with Ukraine.

Delegation from Utahchaired by State Senate Speaker Stuart Adams - the first wartime delegation to Kiev from any of the 50 states - met withAmbassador USA Bridget Brinkbefore dozens of meetings with the ministries of defence, trade, economy, technology, energy and agriculture.

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Ambassador Brink had no problem characterizing the nearly 15-month war: "It's about good and evil, and this is evil," she said.

The Utah delegation is here to explore partnerships that will help build the economy, continue the extensive humanitarian efforts provided by the people of Utah, and seek innovative ways to support Ukraine now and "when we win the war," as Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said. .

This week, the most demanding aviation activity in months will take place near the capitalrepeated trips to underground safe spaces. But warnings from embassy officials throughout the week about escalating hostilities meant the Utah team was well prepared to meet government and private officials. This is likely the first of several trade missions to Ukraine inviting Ukrainian leaders to Utah to explore further trade partnerships.

Brink has been serving as ambassador to Ukraine for almost a year, was appointed by President Joe Biden and was sworn in on May 18, 2022, after nearly three years as U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. His career includes extensive experience in protracted conflicts.

After meeting with the Utah delegation, she spoke with the editor-in-chief of the Deseret NewsDouga Wilksafor this exclusive interview at the heavily guarded embassy in Kiev. The conversation was slightly edited in terms of content and length.

Why does the US support Ukraine? Ambassador Bridget Brink knows the answer (1)

Desert News: I thank the Ambassador for meeting the delegation and for the time devoted to us. Going forward, can you talk about the current state of affairs in Ukraine?

Ambasador Brink:Well, first of all, thank you for being here. And thanks for this trip. And with a delegation of businessmen, NGOs (NGOs) and government representatives, we are very happy to welcome you here, because one of our main goals is to try to encourage foreign direct investment, even now, now is the time to look at Ukraine and help Ukraine in need, but also in reconstruction.

So, to your question, what is the situation now, more than a year has passed in this war and full invasion of Russia. And the Ukrainians did very well in terms of success on the battlefield. They successfully resisted Russia's efforts - and Putin's efforts - to capture the capital. They also managed to regain roughly half of the territory originally occupied by Russia after a full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022. They are now preparing for another counter-offensive and attempt to reclaim and liberate more territories.

But regardless of what happens on the battlefield, our attitude towards Ukraine is to support its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the ability to decide about its own future. And that's why we're here. Both my embassy staff and I work daily to help them on the battlefield, but also to help them, mainly on the economic front, to help them keep their economy alive, and also to help some 6 million displaced people. who are also in Ukraine on the humanitarian front.

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DN: In our last meeting, you discussed five goals. Can you tell us what exactly they are?

AB:Of course. From the day I arrived, almost a year ago, to the end of May last year, I articulated five goals, and we've been working tirelessly on them ever since.

The first is to help Ukraine gain an advantage on the battlefield. Did I mention that it was possible thanks to the courage of Ukrainian heroes fighting on the front line, but also thanks to the help that we and our international partners were able to give them in this fight.

Another goal was to help Ukraine implement reforms that would enable it to achieve its European aspirations, primarily integration with Atlantic institutions, including the European Union. It's something they're still doing and something we're still supporting. It helps to create the kind of country that Ukrainians want, and it will also become a stronger partner for us in many ways.

The third is to help ensure justice and accountability for war crimes and atrocities. The Prosecutor General announced that an investigation into approximately 80,000 cases is currently underway. war crimes and crimes. And what we and other partners have done is try to find ways to help the witnesses and salvage the testimony and evidence of these crimes.

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DW:Are you telling these stories?

AB:We support NGOs that do this. There is a big effort, a global effort of many partners. But yes, we support it, as do efforts to ensure final justice.

The fourth goal is to ensure oversight and accountability for the large amount of aid to US taxpayers. This is a great responsibility for me and our embassy staff. Therefore, we are very focused on ensuring that security assistance, economic assistance and humanitarian assistance are properly accounted for.

And the final goal is to rebuild our embassy. We are still limited and our numbers were relatively small compared to the size of the embassy before it was briefly closed for three months last February and we are recovering our people. We are also rebuilding our mission to be a premier training assistance mission, a training camp and a place to help prepare the diplomats of the future.

(Video) Ambassador Bridget Brink: U.S. Support For Ukraine 'Now More Important Than Ever'

DN: Can you clearly state US foreign policy with regard to Ukraine?

AB:This. Basically, we are here to try to stop (Vladimir) Putin from forcibly changing borders in Europe. We believe this opens a Pandora's box of instability around the world. And as the president has made very clear, our support is to help Ukraine win on the battlefield, guarantee its sovereignty and ensure that it can choose its own future. And that's why we're here.

DN: So we understand why it is so important for Ukrainians. How is it with America? Why are we here and why now?

AB:So the meaning for America is that... of course it's very important, existential for Ukraine to win this fight against the total invasion of Russia. But if we allowed abrupt border changes, it would potentially affect the entire security architecture of Europe and send a signal to other countries around the world that any country can change borders, invade, act against another country. It basically makes the world more unstable. For this reason, it is very important that we make sure that this is a strategic failure of Putin, as President Biden said:

DN: You've been here for a year, you were appointed in May last year. You also have extensive experience in Eastern Europe and beyond, observing protracted conflicts. So do you see any differences in what is happening here in Ukraine, between Ukraine and Russia, compared to what you have seen before?

DW:I think this is a continuation of Putin's policy in the entire region. And I think the way Russia is waging this war is obviously a land war here in Ukraine. But there are other aspects to this war, including the disinformation war being waged in Europe and around the world by Russia.

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It is also a war aimed at starving or further deepening food shortages in countries, preventing the Ukrainian grain that feeds the world from leaving the ports. It is also an energy war aimed at limiting or disrupting energy supplies to Europe. But also over the winter, we went through 26 massive attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, trying to deprive millions of people of electricity, heat and light. So it is a war that has many different fronts and involves many more people, even outside of Ukraine.

DW:So what's the endgame like? How will it be resolved?

AB:I think that Ukraine must win and we must help it, we and our international partners. We have been saying all along that this war will end when Russia leaves Ukraine. And the president also made it clear that President Zelensky he will decide when the time comes.

DW:What can you say about the resilience of Ukrainians? Since we got here, the resolution seems pretty amazing. So, living here during this period, how would you describe this resilience?

AB:I think Ukrainians will fight until they win this war. I don't think Ukraine will give up or Ukrainians will give up.

DW:Is there anything that surprised you after your post here last year?

AB:I guess it didn't surprise me because I heard that Ukraine is incredibly resilient and will fight to the end. And that's exactly what I saw. No wonder, but it confirmed what I had heard. I see it too, and I'm sure you will too, since you're here.

DW: So if you're sitting at the table and your friends, your co-workers ask how can I help you, what do you tell them?

AB:I would say that from the American side, we continue to support Ukraine by supporting our government's efforts to help Ukraine win this existential fight for them, but also a strategically important fight for the United States, for Europe and for democracy. everywhere in the world. There are also many ways in which people want to individually support many organizations to which they can donate or contribute in some way. So there are many ways, but I would say that basically supporting the efforts of the US government and individual support is very helpful. Thank you.

DW:Can I ask a question about the loss of children, children from Ukraine who were deported to Russia? Is the US making efforts to return these children? What is the embassy's commitment to the return of abducted children?

AB:Yes thank you. This is one of the most disturbing parts of the war and the way Russia is handling it. This is not an ordinary war - army against army. In many ways, Russia is fighting this war in a way that we don't want to see repeated anywhere in the world. Thus, by sending more than 1,200 missiles and drones into the power grid over the winter, Russia was really trying to harm and even kill the men, women and children sleeping in their beds at night, which is not an acceptable form of war. does not in any way carry out the mass executions that have taken place, and we have evidence of this in Bucza. ... We have no access to Mariupol and other places, but thanks to witness testimonies, and as Secretary of State and Vice President (Kamala), Harris declared crimes against humanity, war crimes and atrocities to be crimes against humanity. This is a very significant sign.

As for the so-called filtration camps, reminiscent of the Second World War, where people, including children, are taken, filtered and sent to Russia, and children taken away from their parents. This is an absolutely terrifying aspect of any kind of conflict that should not be normalized or accepted. We are dealing with sexual violence at a level unprecedented in recent history. So in all these areas, we are doing everything we can as a government to work with international and other NGOs to support these efforts to identify people and bring them back. Therefore, as the US government, we will continue to do our best in all these areas,

DW: I heard from one person who said that he thinks America is doing enough to prevent Ukraine from losing the war, but not enough to let Ukraine win the war. What would you say to such a comment?

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AB:I mean, I'd say yes. And all of us, including myself, my team, through the mediation in Washington, work day and night in close cooperation with the Ukrainians to help them win, to help them win. It's a win for us. And we want to do everything possible. And we are and we will be.

So I wouldn't put it that way. And I think the amount of security assistance we were able to provide and the speed with which we were able to provide it and our strength to come together to encourage others, including Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, who led the Ramstein Group, what is it called, with 53 other countries to try as much as possible in Ukraine as soon as possible, I think it contradicts this statement.

DW: Can Ukrainians and Russians still love each other?

AB:That is, if you respect the fact that Ukraine is its own nation, with its own culture, its own history and its own territory, then yes, I think the answer is yes. I think if this is Putin's view, which does not allow anything like that, then I don't know if the answer can be yes.

DW:I usually ask what keeps you up at night, but I want to end in a different way. What gives you reasons for optimism?

AB:Oh, one hundred percent Ukrainians. I think Ukrainians are some of the most determined, creative and determined people I've ever met. And you see it on the battlefield, and you see it in every way. You will also see it in your meetings in a day or two. I think that when Ukraine comes out of this war, with our support, it will be a leader in Europe. Your future is amazing. When you meet some of these governments and other leaders you go to, it doesn't take much effort to see Ukraine become a country that wants to enter Europe and becomes one of the leading countries in Europe when it comes to IT, digital transforming the economy in terms of productivity, in terms of producing all sorts of things, maybe even weapons and stuff like that. I mean, it's a country with potential and whoever comes here, I think they see it and feel it. And that's why they got along so well. And that's why they will prevail.

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U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink poses for a photo after meeting members of the Utah trade delegation at the embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, during a visit to Deseret News.