President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the summit of the European Political Community in Moldova, said that what is happening in Belarus and Georgia is a big problem. According to the Ukrainian president, all European countries that border Russia and do not want to be attacked by it should become members of the European Union and NATO.
According to him, Europe should stop hesitating and take bold steps to prevent Russian aggression.
“We see who is the aggressor and where the aggression takes place. Russia is afraid of NATO and only tries to swallow those who are outside the common security sphere. If it is unable to absorb the whole country, it tries to create frozen conflicts on the territory of its neighbors. For instance, why is the Russian contingent still in Transnistria? The Kremlin needs this only to one day thaw the frozen conflict in Moldova,” Zelensky said, and asked how long Europe would tolerate this, noting there should be neither ongoing nor frozen conflict on the European continent.
Zelensky added that NATO is a security guarantee for Ukraine.
“When there are no guarantees of security, there are only guarantees of war. We need peace. Therefore, all European countries that border Russia and do not want Russia to seize its parts should be members of NATO and the European Union. There are only two alternatives to this: open war or creeping Russian occupation. We see what is happening in Belarus, Georgia. We see how these nations are drawn, though in different ways, into the same disorder. But what example do they have? Even Ukrainians, who prove with blood their loyalty to the values of freedom and united Europe, have not yet received a clear positive response to joining the European Union and NATO,” Zelensky said, adding that this only makes the hope of others illusory.
“Think of both of these disappointments — of our soldiers who fight and of the countries for whom our fight is hope,” he said.
Zelensky said a clear invitation to Ukraine for membership and security guarantees on the way to NATO membership are needed at the Vilnius NATO summit in the summer, and a clear positive decision on the way to join the European Union in the fall.
“Positive decisions for Ukraine will be positive for everyone. Obviously, this is very important for Moldova, in the long term for Georgia, and over time, I have no doubt, for Belarus.
“Europe must be far-sighted to be truly peaceful,” he added.
At the meeting of the European political community, Zelensky raised the issue of the transfer of the air defense system Patriots and combat aircraft.
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