Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his speech at the annual meeting of the “Yalta European Strategy” (YES), emphasized the need to intensify pressure on Russia to force it to focus on its own problems rather than continuing its aggressive policies towards Ukraine and other countries.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Zelensky: Peace Dialogue Will Not Achieve Results
“Russia must believe that America, Europe, and the West in general will not allow it to wage war. This cannot be achieved through mere persuasion or dialogue. A truly strong pressure is needed so that instead of the goal of occupying Ukraine or any other country, Putin’s goal is to preserve his economy, his system, and what he has existed for all these years. We cannot replace this head, but we can change the main goal,” Zelensky said during his speech at the annual meeting of the “Yalta European Strategy” (YES).
During his speech, Zelensky stressed that it is impossible to stop the war with Russia solely through diplomatic means or persuasion. A decisive and powerful pressure from the international community, particularly from the United States and Europe, is necessary. The President is convinced that only a change of priorities in the Kremlin can contribute to ending the aggression.
Ukraine’s Security and the West’s Response
Zelensky also thanked the U.S. President’s special envoy, Keith Kellogg, for support and for the presence of modern air defense systems in the United States, which are on par with the “Patriots.” The President noted that the security of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities depends on the continued supply of such weapons and called for providing Ukraine with additional American air defense systems.
The head of state paid special attention to the recent attack of Russian drones on Ukraine, during which 19 drones violated Polish airspace. According to Polish authorities, these drones were shot down by NATO forces, including Polish F-16 fighters, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS reconnaissance aircraft, and refueling planes. The cost of the missiles used to destroy the drones far exceeds the price of the drones themselves.
Zelensky appealed to NATO and Western partners to carry out an asymmetric response to the air attack on Poland that occurred on September 10. The President emphasized the need to provide Ukraine with weapons it previously did not have, to strike not only at the drones but also at the factories where they are produced. According to him, this issue concerns not only NATO but Ukraine itself.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that on the night of September 10, Russian troops launched a massive strike on the military-industrial complex of Ukraine in five regions, and there were no planned targets on Polish territory. At the same time, the Polish government is convinced that the incursion of drones into Polish territory was intentional.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, after a meeting with ambassadors from member countries of the alliance, stated that allies expressed solidarity with Poland and condemned Russia’s actions.