“Concessions” to Putin would be “suicidal for all of Europe”

Any concession on Ukraine to Vladimir Putin would be “unacceptable” for kyiv and “suicidal” for Europe, warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, whose country has been fighting for almost three years against the Russian invasion.

“Some of you here have urged Ukraine to make ‘concessions’ to Putin. This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe,” Mr. Zelensky said in a speech to European leaders gathered in Budapest, a copy of which AFP obtained.

“We must not imagine that by showing weakness or by sacrificing certain European positions or the position of a European country, we can buy peace,” added the Ukrainian president.

He warned Europeans against any reduction in pressure on the Russian leader.

“Agreements with Putin will be of no use”

“Agreements with Putin will do no good. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse. He only thinks about wars and won’t change. Only pressure can impose limits on him,” he insisted.

Ukraine, whose army has been retreating for months before the much more numerous and better armed Russian forces, “needs sufficient weapons, and not support in the talks” with Moscow, Mr. Zelensky said.

These statements come the day after the victory in the American presidential election of Republican Donald Trump, who promised to end the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours” without giving any further explanations.

Fears of disengagement

His return to the White House makes Ukraine and Europeans fear an American disengagement in the coming months, which could have catastrophic consequences for kyiv.

In this context, Mr. Zelensky declared Thursday in Budapest that the links between the United States and Europe should not be “lost” but “valued” after Mr. Trump’s victory.

“We hope that America will become stronger. This is the kind of America Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs. It is the bond between allies that must be valued and must not be lost,” the Ukrainian president said.

He also estimated that North Korea was “now waging war in Europe” due to the alleged arrival in Russia of thousands of North Korean soldiers, denounced by kyiv, Seoul and the West according to which these soldiers’ mission to help Moscow’s war effort.

“North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil,” the Ukrainian president continued.

ATS