Any concession on Ukraine to Vladimir Putin would be "unacceptable" for Kyiv and "suicidal" for Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Thursday.
Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting a Russian invasion for nearly three years, also called on Americans and Europeans to be ‘strong’ and to ‘value’ their relationship, even though the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States has cast uncertainty over the ties between the allies and support for Ukraine.
"Some of you here today have urged Ukraine to make 'concessions’ to Putin. This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for the whole of Europe," Zelensky said in a speech to European leaders gathered in Budapest, a copy of which was obtained by French news agency AFP.
"We must not imagine that by showing weakness or sacrificing certain European positions or the position of one European country, we can buy peace," added the Ukrainian president.
He warned Europeans against any easing of pressure on the Russian leader. ‘Hugging Putin will do no good. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse. All he thinks about is wars and he won't change. Only pressure can put limits on him," he insisted.
President Zelensky went on to say that Ukraine, whose army has been retreating for months in the face of much larger and better-armed Russian forces, "needs sufficient weapons, not support in talks" with Moscow.
These statements come on the heels of Republican Donald Trump's victory at the U.S. presidential election.
Trump had promised to end the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours." His victory has led Ukraine and Europeans to fear a US disengagement in the coming months, which could have catastrophic consequences for Kyiv.
Against this backdrop, Zelensky said in Budapest on Thursday that links between the United States and Europe should not be ‘lost’ but ‘enhanced’ following Mr Trump's victory.
"We hope that America will become stronger. That's the kind of America Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs. It is the link between allies that must be valued and must not be lost," said the Ukrainian President.
He also said North Korea was "now waging war in Europe'’ a reference to the alleged arrival in Russia of thousands of North Korean soldiers, denounced by Kyiv, Seoul and the West, which claim that these soldiers are helping Moscow's war effort.
"North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil," the Ukrainian president said.
