Over the past four years, the list of Ukrainian cities and villages that Russia has brought war and death to has grown, and this means the need for far more determination and pressure on the Russian leader and on Russia. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his address to participants of the Bucha Summit 2026. This year, 23 foreign delegations attended the event.
At the beginning of the summit, the hosts showed a video about the consequences of the Russian occupation of Bucha in 2022. The President noted that this is not only documented evidence of the atrocities committed by Russia’s leader and his army in Ukraine, not only a portrait and the true nature of today’s Russia, but also a certain assessment of the entire civilized world – of international institutions and law — and it is reflected not only in what has been seen, but also in what is still lacking.
“What is missing are the images of war criminals standing before a court, of every murderer hearing a verdict, of all those savages facing inevitable punishment for what they have done. We must do everything to ensure that this does not remain only in our statements, in our imagination, not only in the tears of our people, not only in emotions and on paper. Otherwise, the concept of justice will be devalued. Only by defending the truth and restoring justice will the world have a chance for a peaceful future,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State stressed that Russia does not want to stop the war as long as it has two things: oil, which gives the money to kill, and impunity, which sends the message that they can carry on as before.
“Today, Ukraine is doing this through its own capabilities – through its own deep strikes – while the world can and must do it through sanctions. It must restore the rule of law and limit the rule of force. Every country in Europe needs legal mechanisms that make it possible to stop Russia. To stop tankers, to confiscate Russian oil, to stop Russia’s lackeys and servants around the world – and there are some in Europe – to stop the Kremlin’s special operations on the continent,” the President stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that remembering Bucha requires more than just sympathy; it demands decisions and action. This means the swiftest possible launch of a Special Tribunal, an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, the return of children abducted by Russia, the impossibility of forgetting and forgiving the aggressor.
“The inevitability of consequences for all Russian criminals in the future – when all those who committed atrocities, both in Bucha and across Ukraine, receive sentences, not Schengen visas or political asylum. Otherwise, both in Ukraine and anywhere in Europe, there will always be a risk of new aggression, a new invasion, a new Bucha. All of us in Europe have the right to live without fear. This right must be upheld,” the Head of State said.
The President stressed that it is impossible to forget or dismiss everything Ukraine has endured – the catastrophe of every Ukrainian city and village where Russia brought war and death, including Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka, Mariupol, Yahidne, Avdiivka, Olenivka, Vuhledar, Chasiv Yar, and many others.
“From the first summit until today, this list has, unfortunately, grown. This means one thing: we need far more determination, far more pressure on Putin and Russia, and far more real actions and steps that bring the victory of peace and justice closer,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
