Today at 16:20
Since the July summit of the European Political Community (EPC), there has been a significant escalation of the war by Russia, including the involvement of North Korean troops. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the fifth EPC summit in Budapest.
The President emphasized that the concept of “peace through strength” has repeatedly proven its realism and effectiveness, and it is needed again now.
He thanked everyone present for their support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, as well as for advocating the right of Ukraine to use funds from Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression.
“We are defending ourselves not from Russian words, but from Russian attacks. Therefore, we need enough weapons, not support in negotiations. Hugs with Putin won’t help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things only get worse. He thinks only of wars and won’t change. Only pressure can restrain him,” he said.
Zelenskyy called on the leaders of the countries to push Russia toward a just peace, find a mechanism for Russian assets to start working for Ukraine as quickly as possible, and limit the aggressor state’s ability to profit from oil sales and evade sanctions.
“The bill for this war must be presented to the Russians, not Ukraine. So that Russia can no longer make its false claims to everyone around – from the Baltic states to the Balkans. Any country, any leader who respects international law and is sitting at this table must understand that predators always demand more and more prey,” emphasized the President.
The fifth summit of the European Political Community is taking place on Thursday in Budapest, Hungary. The EPC was founded in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The first summit took place in October 2022 in the Czech Republic, the second in June last year in Moldova, the third in October in Spain, and the fourth in July this year in the United Kingdom.
