If the West is convinced that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is inevitable, then now is the time to act, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today at the Munich Security Conference.
“We need security guarantees. You say there will be a war soon, so what are you waiting for? We will not wait for your sanctions when the bombs start. You ask what can be done. A lot can be done. We can provide you with a list,” he said.
According to him, the world has failed with Ukraine because the global security architecture has failed. “The security architecture of Europe is almost destroyed. It’s too late to talk about its restoration,” Zelensky said. He accused countries of not providing much needed military assistance to his country given the threat, and said the aid he has received so far has been “cough syrup instead of a good COVID-19 vaccine”.
According to the Ukrainian president, his fellow citizens are trying to live as best as possible in the current conditions, since they have no alternative. “Lying in coffins and waiting for foreign soldiers to come is something we are not ready for,” Zelensky said. According to him, Ukrainians cannot remain passive and “tell themselves every day that the war will start tomorrow.” “Is stability possible in such a country?” he asked rhetorically.
According to him, if the world wants to help Ukraine, then let other countries send weapons and invest in it. “We didn’t panic. We just want to live our lives.” Volodymyr Zelensky in his speech before the Munich Security Conference.
During his speech, he found an opportunity to joke. When his translation equipment stopped working, Zelenskiy said it was a “cyber attack” by the Russians, who are said to be absent from Munich but still there.
For the first time in many years, the Russian Federation did not send its delegation to the forum in the Bavarian capital, the DPA explained.