Zelenskyy: I do everything I can to end this war with dignity this year
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukraine is doing everything possible to end the war this year. Ending the war is a common goal of Ukraine and its partners, not Russia, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Ramstein meeting.
“I do everything I can to end this war with dignity for Ukraine and all of Europe this year. And I know I can count on your support. We all must remember that ending the war is OUR shared goal – our, NOT Russia’s, it’s what Ukrainians, Europeans, Americans, and many of our global partners want,” Zelenskyy said.
Countries such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina also want peace for Ukraine, he added. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin is not only sticking to his investments in aggression but doubling them. With the help of North Korea, particularly.
According to Zelenskyy, North Korea is studying modern warfare from Russia's example.
“They do not value their people, they lose them – 4,000 as for today. But Pyongyang gets experience cheap to re-export the war, maybe there in the Indo-Pacific,” the president said.
Such cooperation between Russia and the DPRK demonstrates Putin's weakness, Zelenskyy believes.
“No ruler in Moscow would ever lower themselves to beg in Pyongyang unless facing critical problems. So we’ve got to keep the pressure on Russia. That’s what ensures our soldiers get the weapons they need. That’s what sanctions are for. And I’m asking all our partners – especially the US and the EU – to turn-up the heat on Russia’s energy sector,” Zelenskyy said.
He believes that sanctions should be imposed against all elements of the Russian energy sector, and the Russian tanker fleet needs to be stopped. After all, Russia's military budget for 2025 is 25% higher than last year's.
"If we want to stop the killing, we’ve got to cut-off Putin’s cash-flow. Putin will start thinking about peace only when his inner circle tells him he’s out of money,” Zelenskyy stressed.
Ramstein meeting
On January 9, a meeting in the Ramstein format took place, last attended by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The United States announced a new military aid package for Ukraine. It amounts to $500 million.
Meanwhile, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said this meeting could be the last.
