Today, before the first official run, the International Olympic Committee announced its decision to disqualify the Ukrainian skeleton athlete allegedly…
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that acceleration of assistance packages for Ukrainian air defense is needed.
He said this on February 12 in his evening address.
“The task for the Minister of Defence — he is now with Europeans and other partners at the ‘Ramstein’ meeting: acceleration is needed for our air defense packages. This is a key task not only for Ukraine but for everyone in Europe.
Russians must not get used to their missiles and ‘shaheds’ helping them in any way. They only complicate everything and undermine their already scarce diplomatic opportunities”, — the President emphasized.
According to him, this is why support for Ukraine and sufficient pressure on Russia are needed.
“We need to end the war with guaranteed security and definitely without any rewards to the aggressor. These are the preconditions to ensure that Europe is not swept away by other Russian strikes — new aggressions and the same massive attacks on other European states as we are now repelling in Ukraine.
I also expect sufficient activity from the entire Ukrainian diplomatic system. This concerns the MFA and every Ukrainian embassy. If an embassy is silent, that means unsatisfactory work. Ukraine must be heard — heard everywhere in the world. Ukraine must receive support. I expect relevant results already this week”, — the President said.
He reported that the Ukrainian negotiation team is in contact with the American side.
“Ukraine is ready for meetings. Unfortunately, we still do not have sufficiently firm answers from Russia regarding the proposals for next week. So far we hear nothing but new manipulations with the ‘Oreshnik’, and this is definitely not about peace”, — Volodymyr Zelensky said.
He also commented on the disqualification of Vladyslav Heraskevych before his first run at the 2026 Olympics for refusing to replace the “Helmet of Memory”, which depicted Ukrainian athletes killed by Russians.
“It is definitely not about peace, justice, or the principles of the Olympic movement — the decision of the International Olympic Committee against Vladyslav Heraskevych, our athlete who simply remembers and honors Ukrainian athletes whose lives were taken by Russian strikes. Sport must not be without memory and respect.
Ukrainians already prepare for competitions under extraordinary conditions — under wartime conditions. And it is not politics to speak about what is actually happening. Politics is when Russians hide under other passports and still get into competitions. Politics is when the Russian flag is still present at the Olympics. Politics is when the International Olympic Committee is afraid of the truth and thus provokes chaos”, — the President emphasized.
