On November 7, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky addressed the summit of the European Political Community in Budapest.
He said that the concept of “peace through strength” has repeatedly proven its feasibility and effectiveness, and now it is needed again.
Zelensky told European leaders that he had spoken with “President Trump.”
It was a good, productive conversation. Of course, we cannot yet know what his specific actions are. But we hope that America will become stronger. This is exactly the kind of America Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs. This is the connection between allies that should be valued and cannot be lost.
Zelensky said that since the last meeting in this format there has been a significant escalation of the Russian war, because “North Korea is now, in fact, waging a war in Europe. “North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil.”
Here is the text of the president’s speech, as quoted by his press service:
Since the July summit of the European Political Community in Britain, there has been a lot of talk about the need to succumb to Putin, to retreat, to make some “concessions.” And some of those present here strongly advocated that Ukraine make “concessions” to Putin. This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicide for the whole of Europe. What’s next? Should Europe seek Kim Jong-in’s allegiances in the hope that he too will leave Europe alone? Not a single strong leader, thanks to whom a united, strong and peaceful Europe was built, could even imagine this.
There should be no illusions that showing weakness or trading some European positions or the status of any European country can buy a just peace. It just doesn’t work that way. Peace is a reward only for the strong. Therefore, there is no alternative to a strong Europe. And unity is important for strength.
Russia did not start this war because it needed more territory. Russia has more land than anyone else. She wanted global power, first control over Ukraine and then over all of you, as it once was under Soviet or imperial rule. Budapest remembers what Soviet tanks look like. Ukrainian cities will not forget Russian bombs. And just like Budapest, every city in Ukraine and all our countries deserve security and peace.
I thank everyone for their support of Ukraine and our people. We defend ourselves not from Russian words, but from Russian attacks. Therefore, we need a sufficient number of weapons, not support in negotiations. Hugging Putin won’t help. Some of you have been cuddling with him for 20 years and things are only getting worse. He only thinks about wars and will not change. Only pressure can contain it.
We have built a clear diplomatic system capable of pushing Russia towards a just peace. Most of the countries represented here have joined in this effort for effective diplomacy. Every point of the World Formula has already been discussed at thematic conferences. Nuclear security, food security, energy, the return of prisoners and deportees to Ukraine, and full compliance with international law and much more. We need to push Russia towards this. And a just world will be our common victory. The winning plan is on your desk. Therefore, Ukraine was the first to propose changing our overall strategy to achieve—and as quickly as possible—a just peace.
The bill for this war should be given to the Russians, not to Ukraine. So that Russia can no longer put forward its false claims to everyone around – from the Baltic countries to the Balkans. Any country, any leader who respects international law and sits at this table must understand that predators are always demanding more and more prey.
During this war we saw the failure of European approaches. For example, the closer a country is to Russia, the weaker the concept of neutrality becomes. The rapid accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO showed how European and Alliance leaders truly envision guaranteed security—not in words, but through NATO. Ukraine took note of this.
Russian assets. I want to thank every leader who defends Ukraine’s right to use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression. The Russian state values neither people nor morality—it only values money. And therefore, this will also be a lesson for them when Russian assets operate in Ukraine. To be honest, this is Ukrainian money. It was in Ukraine that Russian troops destroyed hundreds of cities and villages. Millions of our people have lost their homes. This requires funds. And now, instead of looking for reasons for delaying decisions, it is necessary to find a mechanism to direct funds to Ukraine so that they start working as quickly as possible.
Putin’s means for war. We all know that Russia still makes enough oil profits to continue the war. Russia is still avoiding sanctions and buying components for drones and missiles around the world. Russia is still capable of sowing instability and interfering in the lives of nations in regions such as the Sahel, North Africa, the Middle East and countries such as Yemen. Why do paths do this?
We need leverage over him. All of Europe needs them. And together we can not only stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, but also respond to other challenges. This is possible for us – for Europe, and not for one individual leader. I ask you to unite to protect the common interests of our peoples. We must also work together with our allies for our common interests.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.