Ukraine wants to end the war before winter – Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated during the European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels that Europe’s future depends on Ukraine’s defence, and that the best guarantee of security for the EU is Kyiv’s accelerated accession to the bloc, according to Reuters.
According to the president, Ukraine is striving to end the war with Russia by the end of this year and is counting on the support of its partners to get through the coming winter.
Zelenskyy emphasised that every democratic country in Europe deserves to be in the EU, and that Ukraine has earned this right by paying an extremely high price for freedom, independence and its European choice.
“The future of Europe – a free, united and, undoubtedly, peaceful Europe – hinges on our defence. This shows just how unique our situation is,” the president said.
He acknowledged that not all EU countries support accelerating Ukraine’s accession. Zelenskyy described the creation of a fast-track to EU membership for Ukraine as the most important step.
Following the summit, the European Council welcomed the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine and expressed its expectation that other negotiation chapters would be opened in line with the merit-based approach. At the same time, Hungary succeeded in having the wording regarding the acceleration of Ukraine’s accession removed from the final statement.
In subsequent statements, Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine wants to end the war this year through diplomatic means and by increasing pressure on Russia.
“We want to end this war before winter through diplomacy and pressure on Russia. But we understand who we are dealing with,” he said.
The President noted that if the war continues, Ukraine will need gas, diesel fuel, energy equipment, and at least 300 missiles for its air defence systems.
Separately, Zelenskyy emphasised the need to secure funding for the Ukrainian army. According to him, the European Union and the countries of the ‘coalition of the willing’ could establish financial mechanisms for this purpose.
He also called for the allocation of 6 billion euros from the European Peace Fund.
At the end of the summit, the president stated that Ukraine was ready for talks with Vladimir Putin on ending the war, but called on Europe to remain vigilant and step up pressure on Moscow.
Zelenskyy also appealed to Ukrainians to be prepared for new Russian attacks and to take shelter due to a possible intensification of missile and drone strikes.
