Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would be "suicidal" for Europe to offer the Kremlin concessions to stop its invasion of Ukraine. He urged Europe and the United States not to loosen their ties after the election of Donald Trump, AFP reported.
Addressing European leaders at a summit in Hungary, Zelensky criticised those urging him to give in to some of President Vladimir Putin's tough demands.
"There is a lot of talk about the need to submit to Putin, to give in, to make some concessions... This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe," the Ukrainian president said.
He blamed some European leaders, without specifying which ones, who are "strongly" pushing Ukraine to make "concessions to Putin." Kiev said this would only embolden the Kremlin leader and encourage further aggression.
"We need enough weapons, not support in words. Hugs with Putin will not help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse," Zelensky pointed out.
The summit is hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He has repeatedly spoken out against the multi-billion dollar support the West is giving Kiev.
The Ukrainian leader also urged Europe and the US to preserve their strong ties after Donald Trump's victory this week.
The Republican has repeatedly criticised US aid to Ukraine. He says he can end the war within hours after taking office.
"Hopefully America will become stronger. This is the America that Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs. This is the bond between allies that must be cherished and cannot be lost," Zelensky stated.
He repeated his call for more Western weapons for his struggling army. He said Europe must realise that North Korea is effectively "waging war" on the continent.
"North Korea is now effectively waging war in Europe. North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil," he said, referring to reports that Pyongyang had sent troops to Russia to support the invasion. | BGNES
