Russia can be pushed to stop the war: it started it, and it can be made to end it. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement during his online speech at the conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act – the founding document of the OSCE.
The Head of State informed participants about the consequences of another massive attack on Ukraine carried out by Russia on Thursday night, as well as a recent strike on a prison facility in the Zaporizhzhia region two days prior. The President emphasized that Russia continues these strikes despite calls from the world to end the war.
“But if the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, that means even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilize neighboring countries. It will keep spending huge amounts of money, resources, and maybe even lives to do so. One of Putin’s main ideas, and now it’s mainstream in Russia, is that Russia has no real borders,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State noted that while Europe will have to protect itself from the Russian regime for a long time, Russia’s actual potential is far smaller than that of Europe.
“Russia’s technologies are worse. And most importantly, unlike Europe, Russia offers no way of life that people want to follow. That’s why it will lose,” the President stated.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the main task now is to stop Russia and to do everything possible to enhance shared strength in security, economy, technology, and social development.
The Head of State thanked President of Finland Alexander Stubb, all European leaders, and every country that supports Ukraine – its defense, its air shield, and its resilience. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed particular appreciation for the sanctions imposed against Russia. He urged that everything be done to ensure that the United States and Europe act together for the sake of security.
“We need to fully block Russia’s war machine – cut off its arms industry, limit its energy profits, and finally put every frozen Russian asset, including the stolen wealth of corruption, to work defending against Russian aggression. It’s time to confiscate Russian assets, not just freeze them – confiscate them, and use them to serve peace, not war,” the President stressed.
This year’s conference was hosted by Finland, which currently chairs the OSCE. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was the only Head of State invited to take part in the event.