The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, commenting on the intention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to return Russian athletes to the competition, stated the need to tear down the wall that says "Sports outside of politics."

 "I believe that one of the most interesting questions born of war is: Is sport and culture really outside of politics? I have my answer to this question: no, they are not outside politics, and they cannot be there. But now there is a big problem in sports, because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is paving the way for the return of Russian athletes to competitions. Under a neutral flag, the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee. And one of the arguments they use: aggression is aggression, but the athletes are not guilty of anything," said Kuleba during a joint live broadcast on Instagram with journalist Vadym Karpiak.

 The minister noted that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had a very tough conversation with the President of the IOC.

 "I realized while listening to the conversation between President Zelenskiy and the President of the IOC that we have another wall that we did not have time to pay attention to, but which must be demolished. And on this wall it is written: "Sports and art are outside of politics," said the head of the Foreign Ministry.

 Kuleba emphasized that 184 Ukrainian athletes and coaches were deprived of the right to participate in Olympic competitions because they were killed by the Russian Federation.

 "I have a question: why does any Russian athlete have the right to participate in the Olympic Games after that?" he said.

 According to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a rule should be adopted in sports and culture that the aggressor country is deprived of the right to participate in international competitions, exhibitions and projects.

 "I believe that sports should adopt a difficult rule, and culturally as well, that a state that has committed an act of aggression against another country loses the right to participate in international competitions, exhibitions and projects. He committed aggression - pay everything: from the head of the country to the athlete," Kuleba emphasized.

 It will be recalled that on December 14, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy had a telephone conversation with the President of the IOC Thomas Bach. During the conversation, Zelenskiy expressed disappointment with the presence of the president of the Russian Olympic Committee at the IOC summit on November 9 with the intention of returning Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions under a neutral flag.