MUNICH (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged Western allies to speed up military aid to Ukraine, saying at a major international security conference that delays were likely to scare Russia as the invasion neared its first anniversary.Â
“Nothing beats speed, because life is about speed,” Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Ukraine relies on Western weapons to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions to seize much of the country, a test of foreign governments’ resolve at rising financial costs. It has become.
About 40 heads of state, heads of government, politicians and security experts from about 100 countries, including the United States, Europe and China, will attend his three-day conference.
In a plea for more Western weapons, Zelensky likened Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression to the biblical battle between David and Goliath, saying that his country had the courage of David, but the slingshot He said he needed help getting the President Zelensky promised his country would eventually defeat Moscow’s aggression, but warned that Russia “can still take many lives.”
“That’s why we have to hurry,” Zelensky said. “I need speed.”
Zelensky portrays Ukraine as a defender of Western values ​​of freedom and democracy against tyranny, arguing that his country must be properly served to prevent Russia’s far greater power. The West has sided with him, but is sometimes slow to respond to his demands.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, one of Ukraine’s top supporters, renewed his pledges of aid, albeit at times hesitantly, but insisted that Kiev’s allies should not be hasty.
Berlin agreed last month to supply German-made Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine and to license them to other countries as well. German officials, who were under intense pressure to take action, have since expressed disappointment that other countries have not brought more.
The need to provide billions of dollars worth of military aid to Ukraine has at times weighed heavily on allies. Kiev, which has been promised tanks and ammunition by Western powers, now wants to deploy fighter jets, but some countries have refused to do so.
French President Emmanuel Macron supported Zelensky’s appeal.
For the first time in 20 years, conference organizers did not invite Russian officials to Munich. It was the latest cynicism as the West seeks to diplomatically isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Russia’s war in Ukraine would cast a shadow over the proceedings. Western officials and analysts say the conflict is approaching a critical stage as it enters its second year next week.
Effects on grain supplies, energy prices and inflation. US Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to join French, German and British leaders at the Munich conference.
At the same meeting last year, days before Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine, Harris shared US warnings that Russia was about to attack its neighbor, saying: .
“Not since the end of the Cold War has this forum been held in such dire circumstances.”
In a speech scheduled for Saturday, the vice president will discuss what’s at stake in the war and why the U.S. should support its insistence on maintaining aid to Ukraine for as long as necessary, according to the White House. Explain what is important.
Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president of the European Union Executive Committee, said his EU of 27 countries have so far been united on the issue.
Timmermans also expressed hope that China could pressure Russia to end the war.
