Ukraine, Zelensky’s slap to soft Europe: “You embrace Putin”

Making concessions to Vladimir Putin would be “unacceptable” for Ukraine and “suicidal” for Europe. Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, reiterates his total opposition to overtures to Russia. Kiev’s number 1 speaks at the EPC summit at the Puskas stadium in Budapest and his words are obviously dedicated to the war that has been ongoing for almost 1000 days against Russia. Zelensky has always rejected any hypothesis relating to territorial sacrifices by Ukraine to end the conflict.

“North Korea fights in Europe”

“There are many challenges – he continues – since our last meeting in this format, the war in Russia has escalated significantly. And it was Russia itself that caused this escalation. North Korea is now, in fact, doing the war in Europe. North Korean soldiers attempt to kill our people on European soil.”

“Since the summit of the European Political Community held in Great Britain in July – he says – there has been a lot of talk about the need to give in to Putin, to backtrack, to make some ‘concessions’. And some of you present here have strongly argued that the ‘Ukraine should make ‘concessions’ to Putin. It is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicide for all of Europe“.

“And what would be the next step? Should Europe seek favor with Kim Jong Un, in the hope that he too will leave Europe in peace?”, he asks, referring to the presence of thousands of North Korean soldiers in the Russian Kursk region, which Ukraine invaded in early August.

“Whoever hugs Putin is wrong”

“No strong leader who helped build a united, strong and peaceful Europe would have even remotely imagined doing something like this. The concept of ‘peace through strength’ has proven time and again to be realistic and effective. Now is needed, once again”, he adds.

Embracing Putin, as “some” European leaders have been doing “for twenty years”, does not help, because things are only “getting worse”. “I thank all of you – he says – for your support for Ukraine and our people. We defend ourselves not from Russian words, but from Russian attacks. Therefore, we need weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won’t help. Some of you have been embracing it for 20 years and things only get worse. Just think about the war: it won’t change. Only pressure can put limits on him.”

“There should not be – he continues – the illusion that by showing weakness or selling out some European positions or the position of any European country, a just peace can be bought. It simply doesn’t work that way”.

“Russia – he highlights – started this war not because it needed more territory. Russia has more land than anyone else. They wanted global power, starting with control over Ukraine and then over all of you, as they did once under Soviet or imperial rule. Budapest remembers what Soviet tanks were like. Ukrainian cities will not forget Russian bombs. And just like Budapest, every city in Ukraine and all our countries deserve security and peace,” he concludes.