Marianne Binder (64) and Mathias Zopfi (38) will not soon forget this trip. Together with Federal President Ignazio Cassis (61) the Aargau Central National Councilor and the Green Glarner Council of States traveled to Ukraine. A country that has been suffering from war violence for months.
You can feel that at the front, says Zopfi. He still had the feeling that Kiev was still alive: “There was traffic, you see people on their way to work – and then you drive past a recently bombed skyscraper.”
Deeply impressed
The meetings were impressive, especially with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44), Binder said. “He is authentic, committed and says what Ukraine needs in support. He says we want freedom and democracy.” Which is self-evident in Switzerland.
Zopfi also sees it this way: “People in Ukraine have the same dreams, plans and ideas about democracy as young people here.” Whether they could achieve this depended on the war. That’s “extreme”.
Don’t give advice
He now knows: you have to be careful with good advice from outside. For the Ukrainians, it is clear that there are only two options: either Russia withdraws, or Russia wins and Ukraine is history. “There’s nothing in between. Everyone was very clear and determined, including President Selensky.”
According to Zopfi, this is an “impressive person with incredible energy and great seriousness, of course also because of the situation and the role he has”. You would have met people who initially did not want Zelensky as president. “Today he is her leading figure.”
For Binder like Zopfi, one thing is clear: what Ukraine needs is quick help. “We can’t supply weapons, Ukraine knows that,” Zopfi said. But Switzerland can help otherwise: “Winter is coming. If you want to avoid total catastrophe, we as Switzerland have to do more.”
21,000 war crimes
According to Binder, the situation has worsened as energy infrastructures have been attacked in recent days. «And this for the winter! We must now remedy the situation, provide urgent aid now and invest in reconstruction now,” she demands.
Ukraine needs money and materials for reconstruction. But Zopfi sees a greater need for action. The parliamentarians met with representatives of the human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, which received the Nobel Peace Prize. She has documented 21,000 war crimes in Ukraine. “And they said to us: if we don’t want any more, we should take Putin’s money for this war.”
“What do we tell the people?”
Binder was impressed by the fearlessness of the people of Ukraine. They visited a village where 85 houses were destroyed. “The cold that day gripped us to the bone and illustrated the urgent need for urgent help.”
The journey to Kiev was not without its dangers. The politician says she was not afraid. “And by the way, if we are afraid, what do we say to the people of Ukraine?”