Russia must be held accountable for its aggression, just as the Nazis were. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this during his online address to the meeting of EU foreign ministers taking place in Lviv.
The Head of State thanked for supporting Ukraine and noted that the ministers arrived with strong decisions and a readiness to increase pressure on Russia for the sake of true peace. In particular, a decision is being prepared to allocate €1 billion for weapons production in Ukraine, with a total of approximately €4 billion in new aid announced to date.
“Russia must feel our shared – and most importantly, growing – strength. That’s what’s needed for peace. The desire to end this war has to grow inside Russia, and that begins with a feeling – the feeling that they are losing, losing from this war as any aggressor should,” the President emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted the symbolism of the meeting taking place on the days when we honor the memory of those who defeated Nazism 80 years ago and when we celebrate Europe Day.
“Today, right in front of you, is a decision – a decision to create a mechanism that can help prevent future wars – through accountability. A decision to create a tribunal. And I urge you to give this decision your political support. Russia must be held accountable for its aggression just as the Nazis were. A strong tribunal for the crime of aggression can – and must – make any potential aggressor think twice,” the President noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked all those working to build a justice infrastructure and noted the efforts of the Council of Europe and the Netherlands, particularly The Hague, for the readiness to become the home of justice.