“He repeated that Russia should pay for the aggression, not Ukraine, in order to avoid further claims by the Kremlin “to everyone around – from the Baltic countries to the Balkans.””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
He thanked the partners for their support to Ukraine, while noting that defense requires “a sufficient number of weapons, not support in negotiations.”
“Hugs with Putin will not help. Some of you have been embracing it for 20 years and it just keeps getting worse. He thinks only about wars and will not change. Only pressure can restrain him,” he said.
The president pointed out that most of the countries participating in the summit have joined the work of the diplomatic system, which can push Russia to a just peace.
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“This war is taking place on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine is grateful for all the support from our partners, we are open to any constructive ideas to achieve a just peace for our country. But it is Ukraine that must decide what should and should not be on the agenda to end this war,” he added.
Zelensky also repeated that Russia, not Ukraine, should pay for the aggression in order to avoid further territorial claims by the Kremlin “to everyone around – from the Baltic states to the Balkans.”
In addition, the head of state called “certain European approaches” untenable, reminding that the closer the country is to Russia, the weaker the concept of neutrality.
Speaking about the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, Zelensky stated that European and alliance leaders see security guarantees in NATO, and Ukraine “took note of this.”
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He thanked the countries that support the use of funds from Russian assets to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression. At the same time, the president pointed out that Russia is still evading sanctions and taking profits from oil sales to continue the war.
This is Zelenskyi’s first visit to Hungary since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The day before, in an evening address, Zelensky announced his visit to Budapest to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which will discuss security challenges in Europe, as well as “new opportunities for all partners.” He also said there would be “a series of meetings, a series of agreements with European leaders.”
On November 7, a summit of the European Political Community will be held in Budapest, during which European leaders will discuss the results of the US elections and support for Ukraine. The summit brings together more than 40 leaders from almost all European states (except Belarus and Russia).