When terrorists attack, everyone who values life must stand in solidarity – address by the President of Ukraine

7 October 2023 – 21:32

Dear Ukrainians!

Today, since morning, I have been in constant contact with our diplomats and intelligence.

Due to the terrorist attack on Israel and the threat to our citizens in Israel, an operational headquarters has been established under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. All agencies and our embassy are monitoring information about Ukrainian citizens who may be in danger.

As of now, the information about the possible death of one Ukrainian citizen is being verified and the search for two of our citizens is underway.

As soon as the details regarding these people are verified, Ukrainian diplomats will announce it to the public.

Please, dear Ukrainians, if you are in Israel now, be as careful as possible. Follow the instructions of the security forces and take care of yourself and others around you. If you need anything, please contact our embassy by any means available to you – Ukraine will help all its people, no matter what.

Today, the whole world has seen horrific footage from Israel – footage of terrorists abusing women and men, taking even the elderly hostage without mercy… My condolences to all those whose loved ones have been killed! I wish a speedy recovery to everyone wounded.

When such a terrorist attack occurs, everyone who values life must stand in solidarity.

We in Ukraine are particularly sensitive to what has happened. Thousands of missiles in the sky of Israel… People killed right in the streets… Riddled cars with civilians… Abuse of hostages… Unfortunately, terror has also brought all this to the streets of Ukrainian cities and villages… Our position is absolutely clear: anywhere in the world, anyone who brings terror and death must be held accountable.

Today’s terrorist attack on Israel was thoroughly prepared, and the whole world understands which sponsors of terror could have encouraged and organized this attack.

Israel has every right to protect itself from terror. So does any other state. And it is very important for the whole world to respond to terror in a united and principled fashion.

No support for terrorists! Wherever they aim their missiles and whomever they attack, terrorists must lose. And this is important for the whole world. Human life, peace and tranquility of nations are equally important everywhere – in Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Australia. Everywhere.

Let the value of human life and the intolerance of terror be the principles that will finally unite the whole world.

Glory to Ukraine!

💥Again, Volodymyr Zelensky does Benjamin Netanyahu a solid Netanyahu never did for him https://t.co/AzbybbGx47

— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) October 7, 2023

“Time is not our friend. We have enough funding authorities to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs for a bit longer, but we need Congress to act to ensure that there is no disruption in our support,” said NSC spokesperson John Kirby.
via @JamesPoliti https://t.co/fnojnkGjZ3

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) October 7, 2023

Here’s the details from The Financial Times: (emphasis mine)

The White House and pro-Ukraine lawmakers are growing increasingly alarmed about the future of US funding for Kyiv in the wake of Kevin McCarthy’s ousting as speaker of the House of Representatives, which has left military aid in limbo.

The risk of a lapse in American aid to Ukraine within a few months — a worst-case scenario for the Biden administration which has until now seemed unlikely — has risen in the past few days as chaos has enveloped the Republican party in Congress.

It has also triggered soul-searching in Washington over the impact of US political dysfunction on the administration’s foreign policy goals, as it tries to forge global alliances to counter Russian aggression and rising threats from China.

“Will we appease Putin and cut off aid to the Ukrainians? If we do, it will be our problem,” said Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat and the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a speech on the Senate floor this week.

“It just breaks the heart to see that we cannot put the national security of the country itself above the partisanship here in Washington,” said Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund in the US.

Concerns have been compounded by the fact that Jim Jordan — one of the two leading candidates to replace McCarthy as speaker, who is backed by former president Donald Trump — has been openly sceptical of Ukraine aid, if not hostile towards it. Steve Scalise, the other top contender for the speaker job, has backed Ukraine funding in the past. But if he prevails it is unclear whether he would defy the right flank of the party with a vote to bolster aid to Kyiv.

“Jim Jordan is a real candidate to take over the House speakership and he voted against Ukraine funding. So I would be worried if I were [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and his team watching US domestic politics unfold from afar,” said Rachel Rizzo, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, referring to the Ukrainian president.

Worries about the future of Ukraine funding mounted when it was omitted from legislation last Saturday to avert a government shutdown, at least until mid-November. President Joe Biden has tried to reassure American supporters of Ukraine and allies around the world that it would ultimately be approved.

Once McCarthy was removed from his post by a small group of Republican rebels and all Democrats in the House, though, it was harder for the White House to remain upbeat.

“Time is not our friend. We have enough funding authorities to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs for a bit longer, but we need Congress to act to ensure that there is no disruption in our support,” John Kirby, co-ordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, told reporters.

Biden has noted that a majority of members of the House and Senate in both parties say they back continued funding for Ukraine. But he conceded that he needs to make a more concerted defence of US support to the American public.

“I’m going to be announcing very shortly a major speech I’m going to make on this issue and why it’s critically important for the United States and our allies that we keep our commitment,” he said.

The US president then convened a meeting of his top national security team to discuss Ukraine.

Biden is facing mounting pressure, particularly from Republicans in Congress who support aid to Ukraine, to deliver a much more definitive explanation of the US strategy in the war to help sustain public support.

“Your administration has failed to articulate a strategy outlining how US assistance to Ukraine will help them achieve victory over Russia, while also prioritising and advancing American interests,” Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate foreign relations committee, and Michael McCaul, the chair of the House foreign affairs committee, wrote in a letter to Biden on Friday. 

“A pledge to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’ is not a strategy,” they added.

The ramifications for Ukraine’s war effort of a possible reduction or lapse in funding are serious.

I have only been hammering on this point since March of 2022. Specifically that the US needed to get everything it could to Ukraine that Ukraine might possibly need and do so before the current Congress was sworn in last January. And I have been hammering on it precisely because it was both entirely possible that the GOP would retake the House and then the most extreme elements would cut off US support to Ukraine. Which is exactly what happened. Yes, the Republicans are ultimately to blame here as they’re the ones that want to cut off support and use the US’s support as a wedge issue against the Biden administration and Democrats going into the 2024 elections. But the Biden administration also cannot escape the blame here. They acted as if they had all the time in the world and that even a change in one or both chambers of Congress would make no difference. It wasn’t like the GOP caucus didn’t tell everyone what they were going to do:

The Biden administration’s handling of this is strategic and political malpractice. It’s articulated strategy towards Ukraine is all over the map. Secretary of Defense Austin has made it clear that the US seeks an outcome that would prevent Russia from ever doing something like this again. The President and his other senior national security appointees have stated that they do not want any outcome that leads to Putin’s removal, Russia’s dissolution, or both. Those two policy outcomes – Secretary Austin’s and the President’s – are in opposition and cannot be reconciled. Do not get me wrong, Trump would be worse on this as would every Republican running to replace him. However, simply not-being Trump and being better than Trump is not a claim to success.

Kharkiv:

Kharkiv. The aftermath of the russian terrorist attack.

📷 Amadeusz Mikolaj Swierk / Anadolu Agency pic.twitter.com/1eFRA5Dfn7

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 7, 2023

Russian occupied Zalizniya Port, Kherson Oblast:

Is @MargaretAtwood aware that the dystopian characters in her works of fiction have left their pages and come to life?#TheHandmaidsTale pic.twitter.com/gCf5t3FqXH

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 7, 2023

Russian occupied Dzankoi, Crimea:

Explosion and Russian air defense activity reported in Dzankoi, Crimea. pic.twitter.com/pBaRiloFk7

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) October 7, 2023

Zaporizhzhia:

Spectacular Destruction of the Russian TOS-1 220 mm MRLS, as a result of a HIMARS strike. By the Security Service of Ukraine. Zapozizhzhia front. https://t.co/RlWqpAQiva pic.twitter.com/XA52hV63j6

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) October 7, 2023

Obligatory:

For you drone enthusiasts.

Drones of Victory pic.twitter.com/ivx3f8RYvk

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 7, 2023

Russia’s response:

Meanwhile , 🇷🇺Medvedev responds to the Hamas attack on Israel by calling for a civil war inside the United States. https://t.co/SvzAnhyGBw

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) October 7, 2023

Machine translation of Medvedev’s statement:

The outbreak of clashes between Hamas and Israel on the day of the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the – Doomsday War event that could be expected. That’s what Washington and its allies had to do. The conflict between Israel and Palestine lasts decades. And the USA is a key player there.

But instead of actively working on a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, these morons climbed into us and help neo-Nazis with might and main, pushing two close peoples.

What can stop America’s manic passion for fueling conflict throughout the planet?

Apparently, only a civil war in the United States.

Russian state propaganda supports a terrorist attack on Israel

Correspondent of the "Komsomolskaya Pravda" Dmitry Steshin writes that he has no pity for the murdered women and children

State channel host Sergei Mardan writes that the massacre in Israel is beneficial to Russia pic.twitter.com/iypFUDSVyL

— Денис Казанський (@den_kazansky) October 7, 2023

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

Terrorists are trying to take over this world. I'm sure they won't succeed, but they won't stop trying. pic.twitter.com/vPLPH6nW2B

— Patron (@PatronDsns) October 7, 2023

And a new video from Patron’s official TikTok!

@patron__dsns

Коротко про мій стан, коли мене не беруть на виклик :(

♬ original sound – Billie Eilish Home

Here’s the machine translation of the caption:

Briefly about my condition when I am not taken on a call :(

Open thread!