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Ukraine’s ambassador to Denmark calls for help from both citizens and officials
Armelle Delmelle
February 25th, 2022
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Ambassador Mykhailo Vydoinyk and his wife greeting Chilean counterpart Ximena Verdugo on the occasion of his country’s national day last September. Let’s hope it doesn’t prove to be the last (photo: Hasse Ferrold)
Mykhailo Vydoinyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Denmark, has called on all Ukrainians in Denmark who are ready and able to travel home to return and help fight the Russian forces. He even told TV2 that if it comes to it, he will go himself.
His speech resonates with one made by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“In defence of our country, we will hand out weapons to anyone who wants to and has the capacity to defend our sovereignty,” he said following the start of Russia’s invasion yesterday morning.
Their calls to join the Ukrainian Army have been heeded by Danish-based Ukrainians like Yaroslav Potnoy who was also interviewed by TV2.
If his passport was not stuck in Kyiv, he said, he would certainly go and join his father in defending his country.
The help that came too late
The ambassador is grateful for all the support citizens have shown so far – in particular, those who attended a demonstration in front of the embassy.
Unfortunately, it does not change the fact that help from the Danish government and other Western countries came too late.
“I would have preferred the support to come a little earlier, when our president asked EU leaders to impose preventative sanctions against Russia,” he told DR.
He has called upon the EU and NATO for a stronger reaction.
“We need sanctions that hit the Russian economy and Putin’s regime. In addition, we need military support and weapons to protect our country. And finally financial support and humanitarian aid,” he said.
Ukraine is neither a member of the EU nor NATO.
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