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The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 4, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We crook present to Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Makarova. Ambassador, bully to person you back. I recognize Russia has been attacking Kyiv arsenic precocious arsenic overnight. What tin you archer us?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Good morning, Margaret. Yes, different precise hard time and nighttime successful Kyiv, and not lone Kyiv, Cherkasy and immoderate different places, much than 165 Shahed drones, Iranian drones, person been deployed again against wholly civilian targets. So unfortunately, this is simply a horrible world during the past 1,166 days. Every day, careless of Russia says, determination are immoderate attacks and determination are civilian casualties and determination are civilian destructions. And for the aforesaid 1,166 days, we enactment diligently connected getting- not lone defending us, but getting to peace. And Ukraine is devoted to peace.
MARGARET BRENNAN: There has been a shift, successful tone, astatine least, betwixt the Trump medication and your president. President Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that his speech with President Trump astatine the Pope's ceremonial was the champion gathering they've ever had, and he's assured things volition look antithetic now. What is helium indicating? What's coming next? When bash they talk next?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Look, our concern with the U.S. is precise important for us. U.S. has been and is simply a strategical partnership. We are truly grateful to American radical for each the enactment that we are getting from the U.S. It would not beryllium imaginable for america to support ourselves without those Javelins, without those weapons that U.S. has provided us, and it was President Trump who decided to supply america Javelins, as- when- erstwhile I was inactive a concern minister--
MARGARET BRENNAN: Back successful 2017.
AMB. MARKAROVA: --and it was backmost successful 2017, and past ample enactment from American radical during the past 3 years person truly been a crippled changer, and we are precise grateful for it. The gathering was great. And you know, arsenic you know, aft that meeting, we person signed, really, a large agreement, economical concern agreement, betwixt our 2 nations, which volition instrumentality that concern to a caller level. So look, we mightiness person immoderate disagreements on- on- successful immoderate areas, but Ukraine is committed to peace. Ukraine wants bid much than anyone, and we request U.S. We- we- our countries are based connected the aforesaid values. We are defending state successful Ukraine. We are not the ones who started this war. And present it's not lone the close oregon motivation happening to do, to- the information to enactment Ukraine, but also, U.S. has, arsenic your Secretary of Treasury said, an involvement and circumstantial economical involvement successful Ukraine.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I privation to inquire you astir that deal. This is what's often described arsenic a minerals agreement, but it's a broader economical concern that's going distant for ratification successful your authorities this week, I understand. This was agreed to, but Russia's Foreign Minister has said that the mineral deposits that beryllium successful Ukraine, successful the east, are 1 crushed his state wouldn't retreat from that area. So tin the U.S. and Ukraine marque this woody enactment if Russian troops are inactive successful the country wherever those mineral deposits mostly are?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Margaret, arsenic you said, this is an economical concern statement to make an concern money to- for some of our nations to payment from astonishing concern opportunities that Ukraine has. We discussed before, and I'm truthful gladsome that we tin not lone sermon the horrible calamity and demolition brought by a Russian unprovoked invasion, but besides of the agleam aboriginal that we, unneurotic with America, and- and different countries, tin have. Ukraine has cultivation onshore and achromatic soil, and with the technologies, adjacent during the war, we provender much than 400 cardinal people. We person energy, we person mineral- captious mineral deposits. We person truthful much, including the quality talent, and we tin make it together. So look, erstwhile Russians knock something, it's a motion for each of america that we are doing thing right. This woody volition work, and it volition enactment if Ukraine is peaceful.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Let's talk- Let's speech much connected the different broadside of this commercialized break, we'll beryllium close back.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to "Face the Nation." We instrumentality present to our speech with Ukrainian ambassador, Oksana Makarova. We've been discussing the woody that the United States and Ukraine came to successful respect to this economical partnership. I've work that the woody counts aboriginal U.S. subject assistance successful the signifier of ammunition, weapons systems, and grooming arsenic a publication to the concern fund, and that Ukraine volition not reimburse Washington for past subject aid. Is that however it's acceptable up?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Well, we- archetypal of all, it's important that it's going to be, arsenic we say, 50/50 deal. So we, together, volition acceptable up that fund. We volition tally it together, and each the aboriginal publication that- oregon investments that U.S. volition beryllium providing us, including subject deals, volition beryllium counted arsenic publication to that fund, and Ukraine volition beryllium besides committing the proceeds from the caller licenses and caller developments into the fund. So essentially, it's- it's a existent concern wherever we would beryllium capable to enactment resources unneurotic successful bid to put into a wide scope of projects, including infrastructure, including uncommon earths, including captious minerals, and some of our nations volition payment from it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: When does that get up and running?
AMB. MARKAROVA: We are moving precise actively connected it. As you saw, the woody betwixt the governments person been signed. It's going to beryllium ratified by our parliament, hopefully soon. You person seen beardown messages from President Zelenskyy, and it's his imaginativeness and imaginativeness of President Trump down the woody that is moving it forward. Of course, determination volition beryllium the instauration of the fund, the setup of the fund. I utilized to enactment successful backstage equity successful my erstwhile life. That takes a small spot of time, but we are moving precise fast, truthful hopefully the teams volition come, enactment everything together, and we'll commencement working.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But wrong this determination aren't information guarantees. Are determination promises of aboriginal subject assistance from the United States? Because if this pea- effort to get a bid woody unneurotic doesn't work, the destiny of the warfare is inactive in- successful question.
AMB. MARKAROVA: Well, you cognize this- the concern with Russian aggression towards Ukraine is truthful complex. There are many- we're discussing the imaginable imaginable bid deals. We are discussing this economical concern deal, which is already signed. We're discussing different imaginable scenarios and information guarantees and engagement of different friends and allies. And you know, Europe has been much progressive and proactive in- successful a fig of areas. So this economical concern woody successful itself is simply a precise important portion of the broader security- information architecture, if- if I whitethorn accidental so. And frankly, that money volition beryllium palmy if Ukraine is unchangeable and peaceful. So successful a way, it's an important portion of the aboriginal information guarantees.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Vladimir Putin told Russian authorities TV helium thinks that helium tin bring this warfare to a logical conclusion- helium avoided the connection war, helium said, this happening that started successful 2022. But helium said, determination has been nary request to usage atomic weapons. And quote, "I anticipation they volition not beryllium required." How bash you construe that?
AMB. MARKAROVA: Well, it's precise hard to construe a antheral and a alleged person of the federation who attacked Georgia successful 2008, attacked Ukraine successful 2014, conducted 2 genocidal wars connected his own, successful his ain Federation, against Chechnya. Did warfare crimes successful Syria, poisoned radical in- successful Great Britain. I mean, I deliberation astatine this constituent it doesn't substance however we construe what helium says. We conscionable person to judge what helium says and recognize what helium says. He is simply a threat, not lone to Ukraine, but besides to anyone who believes that nations should unrecorded peacefully, bash not situation each other's borders, and conscionable absorption connected the economical cooperation. That's what we are doing with the United States, and hopefully our corporate efforts, and with Europe, with each the Baltic and Nordic states, with each the friends and allies, including Japan, including UK, including truthful galore radical that are coming unneurotic successful bid to bring peace, not lone to our portion of the world, but globally. Because it's- it's important. Putin is doing it unneurotic with Iran and North Korea. They are not hiding it. They are supporting different terroristic regimes, and we should besides enactment unneurotic successful bid to bring peace.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, convey you for your clip today. We'll beryllium close back.
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