President Volodymyr Zelensky, this week, in a speech addressed to the Ukrainian people Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Statements by Volodymyr Zelensky were made this Saturday at a press conference in Kyiv. Next Tuesday, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, will meet Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized António Guterres this Saturday for preparing to meet with President Vladimir Putin even before going to Ukraine to meet with him. “There’s no logic.”
For Zelenzky, it would make much more sense for Guterres to go to Ukraine first, learn about the atrocities he claims were perpetrated by Russian forces, before heading to Moscow to meet Putin.
In addition, the Ukrainian president also considered that Russia should not be part of the Security Council (where it is one of the five countries with the right of veto).
The President of Ukraine gave a press conference this Saturday in which he answered questions from journalists. The place chosen was the metro in the capital, a place that served as a refuge for thousands of people during the several weeks in which the city was being bombed.
Zelensky stated that Russia and the word “trust” are antonyms and not synonyms. “When they say something, their words don’t match their actions.”
During the conference, he also said he was not afraid to meet Putin. “I have no right to be afraid because our people have not shown any fear.”
To the Ukrainians, he promised that all territory captured by Russian forces would be recovered. “This will not be a matter of 20 or 30 years. It will be a matter of us having weapons. We will recover everything at once, all the occupied territories.”
However, Zelensky argued that “war can only be stopped by those who started it”. The Ukrainian leader argued that he wants an end to the war and that “any healthy person would choose the diplomatic route over the military one”.
However, the President advanced that Ukraine will abandon the peace talks if Moscow continues to insist on holding “pseudo-referendums” and creating “pseudo-republics” on Ukrainian territory. Kremlin forces have held an independence referendum in Kherson, the southern part of the country that borders Crimea.
Asked whether Putin would face charges in court, Zelensky said anyone who gave “shameful orders” would be prosecuted. “It’s not that I want [Putin to be tried], but everyone who gives these shameful orders will be taken to court. I’m convinced of that. It may take years, but let’s wait. If someone like me doesn’t live long enough, our children will live long enough.”
Zelensky also ruled out the possibility that the US and UK would stop supplying Ukraine with weapons. “There is no other option but to fight for our land and get it back. I don’t consider such an alternative.”
He added that Ukraine will remain in a state of military readiness for many years to come, like nations like Israel. “We will be that country, we have already become that country. We are a country that knows how to defend itself. I believe that when we win we will have the strongest army and, as a guarantee of security, we will be one of the strongest countries in Europe.”
In a peculiar moment, the press conference was interrupted to allow the metro to pass.
Source: With Agencies
