Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has starkly said that Vladimir Putin faces only two futures: facing justice “in the Hague” or being “killed by one of his accomplices.” These comments were made during his address at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, against the backdrop of significant events including the capture of Avdiivka and the demise of Putin’s critic Alexei Navalny.
Zelensky asserted: “After the murder of Alexei Navalny, it’s absurd to perceive Putin as a supposedly legitimate head of a Russian state, and he is a thug who maintains power through corruption and violence.”
The Munich Security Conference saw Zelenskyy alongside global leaders as the crisis surrounding Russia’s incursion into Ukraine escalates. The withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Avdiivka was announced amidst these tensions.
Zelenskyy said that the troop withdrawal from Avdiivka was “a correct decision” and emphasized the priority of saving soldiers. He suggested that Russia has achieved little, adding that it has been attacking Avdiivka “with all the power that they had” since October and lost thousands of soldiers — “that’s what Russia has achieved. It’s a depletion of their army.”
“We’re just waiting for weapons that we’re short of,” he added, pointing to a lack of long-range weapons. “That’s why our weapon today is our soldiers, our people.”
Zelenskyy, in his speech, emphasized the urgency of unity against Putin’s regime, describing the Russian leader as a “thug” reliant on corruption and violence. His call to action comes as Ukraine approaches two years of conflict with Russia, stressing the need for continued support from Western allies.
Zelenskyy on Friday went to Berlin and Paris, where he signed long-term bilateral security agreements with Germany and France, following a similar agreement with Britain last month.
Ukraine’s European allies are appealing to the US Congress to approve a package that includes aid for Ukraine — $60 billion that would go largely to US defense entities to manufacture missiles, munitions and other military hardware for the battlefields in Ukraine. The package faces resistance from House Republicans.
Zelensky asserted: “After the murder of Alexei Navalny, it’s absurd to perceive Putin as a supposedly legitimate head of a Russian state, and he is a thug who maintains power through corruption and violence.”
The Munich Security Conference saw Zelenskyy alongside global leaders as the crisis surrounding Russia’s incursion into Ukraine escalates. The withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Avdiivka was announced amidst these tensions.
Zelenskyy said that the troop withdrawal from Avdiivka was “a correct decision” and emphasized the priority of saving soldiers. He suggested that Russia has achieved little, adding that it has been attacking Avdiivka “with all the power that they had” since October and lost thousands of soldiers — “that’s what Russia has achieved. It’s a depletion of their army.”
“We’re just waiting for weapons that we’re short of,” he added, pointing to a lack of long-range weapons. “That’s why our weapon today is our soldiers, our people.”
Zelenskyy, in his speech, emphasized the urgency of unity against Putin’s regime, describing the Russian leader as a “thug” reliant on corruption and violence. His call to action comes as Ukraine approaches two years of conflict with Russia, stressing the need for continued support from Western allies.
Zelenskyy on Friday went to Berlin and Paris, where he signed long-term bilateral security agreements with Germany and France, following a similar agreement with Britain last month.
Ukraine’s European allies are appealing to the US Congress to approve a package that includes aid for Ukraine — $60 billion that would go largely to US defense entities to manufacture missiles, munitions and other military hardware for the battlefields in Ukraine. The package faces resistance from House Republicans.