Interview with Marc Stanley – United States Ambassador to Argentina
mar stanley -Ambassador of USA in the ArgentinaHe used the word several times.bully‘ (Tyrant, in English). Wladimir Putinthe Russian head of state who decided to cross borders exactly a year ago Russia to penetrate Ukraine and commit all kinds of human rights abuses and multiple war crimes. “You have to face the bullies” the diplomat repeatedly said at a meeting alone with Infobae, emphasizing that the help received by the Ukrainian people was not only from Washington but a large number of nations supported Kyiv and to the President Volodomir Zelenskyy.
Stanley emphasized that further putin She will eventually have to account for the abuses committed over the past 12 months – the extent of which is not yet known – although for now the world must rally to try to put an end to the drama of the war. “Today is the moment when Putin has to stop and retire. Then we can talk about responsibility‘ the ambassador indicated.
– A year has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine: what do you think is the most important lesson left by this tragedy?
– It’s simple: you stand up to the bullies. If Putin had succeeded, we know that he would not have stopped in Ukraine: he would have moved on to Moldova and other countries. But the resilience of Ukrainians and the international community united against this act… An unprovoked aggression that violated sovereign borders and territorial integrity and was inexcusable. The lesson is that you stand up to bullies and fight back and don’t let them take anything away from you.
– You mention resilience, but aid from the United States has been a key factor throughout the year. Do you think Vladimir Putin underestimated or didn’t anticipate President Joe Biden’s determination?
– I want to clarify a few things. First of all, the United States has been very helpful in providing assistance, but this has not been done by the United States alone, but by the international community. I think Putin clearly underestimated the determination of the international community to come together and take action against the unprovoked aggression, the war crimes, that we are seeing. Ukraine could not have done this without the United States, without Poland, without France, without Germany, without Japan, without Israel, without countries around the world, countries with a conscience that stood up to the thugs.
– As you mentioned, Ukraine surprised the world by showing its determination and courage throughout the year. What is your forecast for the coming months?
– I’m not very good at forecasting… But I want to emphasize again that Putin thought that this would be a three-day exercise and that he would take over Ukraine. I think that he didn’t remember the grandmothers, mothers and fathers in Ukraine and that he underestimated Zelenskyy and his leadership. All of them were absolutely exceptional. But it’s just common sense: you will defend your home. They would do it in Argentina, we would do it in the United States. I don’t know what Putin was thinking. It’s his country, of course he will defend it.
– Russian troops committed all sorts of atrocities this year of the invasion. Can you imagine Vladimir Putin facing an international war crimes tribunal?
– I am confident that you will be held accountable for your crimes. And I want to answer you: I think that neither you nor I know the depth of the war crimes committed. We still discover them every day. And they are totally disgusting. But even beyond that, we know that the targets were not the Ukrainian military, its facilities and personnel, but the Ukrainian people. It attacks their food supplies, their energy; it has attacked schools, hospitals, homes; She has killed civilians, children, one, two and three year olds. It’s utterly terrifying. There are mass graves, there is torture, there are untold war crimes and we don’t know how many. Our Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about it at the Munich conference last week, Joe Biden spoke about it, Zelenskyy spoke about it. But now is not the time to account. But now, today, is not the time for accountability: today is the time Putin must stop and walk away. Then we can talk about responsibility.
– Russia and China have become closer in the last year, and Wang Yi’s recent visit to Moscow is important and confirms this alliance. Do you think China is hampering efforts to find a peaceful solution?
– That’s more than I can know. I’m reading the same as you about proximity, but I’ve also read that China has criticized war crimes and the unfair imbalance of the bullying attack on Ukraine. And from the perspective of the rest of the world, I think China has commented on how uncomfortable everyone is with what’s going on. Of course, I hope that China does not escalate the situation by adding weapons to harm Ukraine. Because this is not an attack on Russia: this is an attack by Russia on Ukraine and I do not understand why China would want to harm the Ukrainian people. That would be very embarrassing.
– But do you think it is possible that China will supply Russia with weapons?
– I read the same thing as you in the newspapers, but I have no idea. Of course I hope not. I try to imagine why they want to kill Ukrainian women and children, Ukrainian grandmothers and grandfathers. I don’t understand why this should be in China’s interest. I do not know.
– Some Latin American countries have shown a dubious attitude towards the conflict. What do you make of it?
– I don’t know if you doubt it… I don’t read Pravda, but I’ve seen countries like Argentina almost unanimously condemning Russia for this unjustified invasion. It is interesting because Argentina was chairing the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) at the time of the invasion, and Argentina showed great leadership in the Human Rights Council by condemning Russia, and also at the United Nations, not only by supporting the submitted Resolutions voted by others, but Argentina has even submitted resolutions with it. And we work with Argentina. Argentina also voted in this way in the Organization of American States. While there are factions in every country – mine included – that say they would like to see this over soon, and we would also like to see how Putin would go, I wouldn’t say that Argentines don’t support Ukraine, I think , they do it .
The United States Ambassador to Argentina, Marc R. Stanley, during his interview with Infobae (Infobae/Gastón Taylor)
– I’m not just referring to Argentina. I’m referring to Brazil, Mexico or Venezuela, where the influence of Moscow and Beijing is more visible.
– Fortunately, I’m the ambassador of Argentina. We can analyze what Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are doing in a different way. But I think that countries with a clear conscience, not only in Latin America, but also in Europe, in Asia, around the world, take a step forward and say: “Russia, go home. What you are doing is wrong.”
– What recommendations would you give to countries that choose Russia as a partner now or in the future?
– How do we choose friends? Do we have friends in our private life who will destroy our neighbor’s house? Do we have friends who imprison and torture people? Do we have friends who kill? Or do we have friends who respect human rights? Countries also choose their friends and their relationships. In the United States, we favor countries that value human rights and democracy, and that respect sovereign integrity and territorial boundaries. There comes a time when all countries have to look at each other and decide who they are friends with, who they want to be in this world. Do you want to side with the tyrant tearing the world apart, or do you want to be with the peaceful and friendly democracies?
– I assume you’re talking to the Fernández government about the invasion. Did you expect a tougher position from Argentina or is that enough for you?
– I want to say that no matter who I speak to, whether in the leadership or in the opposition, everyone tells me that they are proud that Argentina stood up to Russia and supported Ukraine. I hope this continues in my country, which I know well, and I hope it continues in yours too.
– Recently, Latin America has opened the doors to Russia on issues such as energy, pandemic, mining and military aid. What might be the consequences, and what would be a politically practical way to close those doors?
– I think there is a before and after. If we talk about it before the invasion, there were larger relationships. I remember here in Argentina there is a Russian Economic Council that talks about investments. But since the invasion, things have gotten pretty quiet. By the way, Sputnik was nothing to celebrate: it was a vaccine that was not very effective and was not distributed in a timely manner, and in general it was not of much help in Latin America. But I would object to Latin America opening the doors to Russia. I do not see it. I hope it doesn’t happen. I think people who please bullies don’t always get respect. If my country gave in to a tyrant, I don’t think we could respect each other. I can’t tell Argentina what to do, nor Brazil, nor any other country. But when we talk about Latin America, I don’t see it opening the doors to Russia.
– The Latest: What place do you think history will reserve for Vladimir Putin?
– I think it will go down in the history books with Idi Amin, Adolf Hitler and other tyrants who murdered people and committed war crimes. And that they lied. just lied Recently he lied to the world that he was defending Russia, helping Ukraine to liberate itself from the Nazis and defending Russia against Ukraine and NATO aggression. And yet nothing happens in Russia: he went to the other side of the border to defend his country. It’s crazy. Nobody believes what he says. I think that he needs to be held accountable for his crimes and that he will not have a good place in history. Certainly not like other people like (Mikhail) Gorbachev and other leaders of this country who have done a good job.
The United States Ambassador to Argentina, Marc R. Stanley with the journalist Laureano Pérez Izquierdo, Director of Infobae America (Infobae/Gastón Taylor) Interview with Marc Stanley – United States Ambassador to Argentina
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