Zelensky said that Russia is provoking the global food crisis and added, “We need to do everything we can to prevent Russia’s plan to create hunger and political chaos in African and Asian countries where food cannot be shipped from Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in the capital Kiev.
Stating that Russia continued its attacks in Ukraine, Zelenskiy said, “The total number of various Russian missiles launched against Ukraine and civilians may approach 3,000 this month. Many of the missiles were launched against civilian infrastructure.”
“We need weapons to fight”
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is aggression against the whole of Europe, against each of us, against our values. We must respond to this by uniting.”
Pointing out that Ukraine needs weapons to fight, Zelenskiy continued his speech as follows:
“We are waiting for shipments of heavy weapons, modern multi-barrel rocket launchers and air defense missile systems. Each batch of these weapons means human lives saved. Delayed or postponed decisions on this issue create opportunities for the Russian army to kill Ukrainians and destroy our cities. The more weapons we receive, the faster we can save our people and our territory. Many Ukrainians are waiting for the liberation of our territory.”
“Russia must stop the blockade of ports”
Referring to the global food crisis, Zelenskiy said, “Russia provoked this crisis. We must do our best to prevent Russia’s plan to create hunger and political chaos in African and Asian countries where food cannot be shipped from Ukraine.”
Stating that they are doing their best to unblock the ports, Zelenskiy said, “However, Russia, which initiated this blockade, must stop.”
“The 7th sanctions package against Russia needs to be implemented”
Pointing out that Western countries imposed sanctions against Russia due to the war, Zelenskiy said, “It is necessary to reach an agreement on the implementation of the 7th sanctions package against Russia.”
Referring to the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia, Zelenskiy emphasized that “Russia is not ready for these negotiations and does not want peace”.
Stating that they expect support for his country’s status as a candidate country for the European Union (EU), Zelenskiy stated that this “can strengthen the freedom of Europe”.
