The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Ukraine is ready to help Europe become a true force, guarantee peace, and prevent destruction.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this during a special session of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Head of State emphasized that Europe has still not found answers to modern global threats, noting the lack of an adequate response to the recent crimes of the Iranian regime.
The President noted that the United States managed to arrest Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, while Vladimir Putin has still not been held accountable in Europe. At the same time, Russia continues to fight for its frozen assets.
“Fortunately, there is an EU decision to freeze Russian assets indefinitely — I am grateful for that, thank you, Ursula, thank you, António, and all leaders who helped. But when it came time to use these assets to defend against Russian aggression, the decision was blocked”, — Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State separately highlighted the work of the Coalition of the Willing on security guarantees for Ukraine and thanked the United Kingdom and France for a declaration that provides for the deployment of forces in Ukraine after a ceasefire.
“We are doing everything to ensure that our Coalition of the Willing truly becomes a Coalition of Action. And again — everyone is very positive, but — there is always a ‘but’ — a backstop from President Trump is needed. And again, no security guarantees work without the United States”, — the President stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Europe to strengthen sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet in order to stop oil exports and deprive Russia of funds for waging war.
Since Russian oil finances the war against Ukraine and contributes to destabilizing Europe, it must be stopped, confiscated, and used in Europe’s interests.
“Europe must do more to ensure that its sanctions block enemies as effectively as American sanctions. Why is this important? Because if Europe is not perceived as a global force, if its actions do not frighten wrongdoers, Europe will always only react, chasing new threats and attack”, — the President said.
The President also emphasized that Europe must create unified armed forces capable of guaranteeing real security.
“Right now, NATO exists thanks to faith — faith that the United States will act, will not stand aside, and will come to help. And what if not?” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked.
The Head of State also recalled that the Belarusian people did not receive sufficient support in 2020, and now Russia has deployed the Oreshnik missile system on Belarusian territory, capable of attacking European cities. Likewise, Europe is currently not helping the Iranian people and the democracy they need.
The President is convinced that Europe must demonstrate global strength and fundamentally prevent any threats from those who endanger its unity. Instead, Europe spends significant effort on internal disputes rather than uniting and stopping Russia.
“We must remember what distinguishes Russia from all of us. The deepest line of conflict between Russia and Ukraine and all of Europe is that Russia fights for people to mean nothing — so that when dictators want to destroy someone, they can do it. But they must lose power, not gain it”, — the President noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Russian missiles are produced only because sanction-evasion schemes exist. Russians are now trying to drive Ukrainians into freezing death at temperatures of –20°C. They would not be able to produce a single missile without critical components from China, Europe, the United States, and Taiwan.
“And I am, of course, grateful to every country and every company helping Ukraine restore its energy system. This is extremely important. Thank you to everyone contributing to the PURL program, which allows us to purchase missiles for Patriots. But wouldn’t it be cheaper and easier to simply cut Russia off from the components it needs to produce missiles? Or even destroy the production of these missiles?” — Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.
According to the President, Europe must demonstrate an active position to build a better world without war. Ukraine is ready to help Europe with everything necessary to guarantee peace and prevent destruction.
“We are ready to be part of a Europe that truly matters — a Europe of real strength, a great power. Right now, we need this strength to protect our independence. But you also need Ukraine’s independence, because tomorrow you may have to defend your way of life. And when Ukraine is with you, no one will wipe their feet on you”, — Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
