Ukrainian ambassador says world cannot ‘lose focus in one place or another’ in wake of Israel-Hamas war   on November 5, 2023 at 9:44 pm

Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., said on Sunday that the “war on terror” must be won everywhere – and stressed the importance of not only focusing on one place over another. 

“We just have to understand that this war on terror have to be won everywhere, and that we cannot afford to lose focus in one place or another,” Markarova said in an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”

“That’s why in order to be able to stop not only Russia, but other terroristic regimes, we also have to win in Ukraine,” she added.

Markarova stressed the interconnectedness of the multiple battlefronts and pointed to Russia’s support for Hamas and Iran.

“We see all this visits of Hamas and Iran to Russia, and we see how Iran and North Korea helping Russia to fight but also Russia helping a lot of them and helping Hamas openly,” she said. 

Her comments come as negotiations in Congress have hit obstacles as lawmakers try to navigate whether to package together funding for Ukraine and Israel – as President Biden, many senators, and House Democrats want.

The House passed an Israel aid bill this past week that is dead-on-arrival in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is not expected to take up the bill, and Biden has said he would veto it. The bill cuts funding from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and does not include Ukraine aid. 

Ukrainian leaders have expressed concern over the waning support for Ukraine aid among some Americans. The Israel-Hamas war, too, adds new complications to passing Ukraine aid, as some focus is pulled toward addressing that battle.

​ Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., said on Sunday that the “war on terror” must be won everywhere – and stressed the importance of not only focusing on one place over another. “We just have to understand that this war on terror have to be won everywhere, and that we cannot afford to lose…