In a speech to the Bundestag (German parliament) on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy averred that the end of the conflict was potentially closer than anyone might predict.
He said, “You can probably remember that a year or two before the fall of the Berlin Wall, no one could have predicted how quickly this could come about.”
“It seemed to some that the wall would remain forever,” he noted.
“But the wall disappeared. And that was down to the leadership of the politicians and many people. It depended on that alone. And now, when people are shouting that Putin will last forever, and there is no end to this war, that’s not the case. This is an illusion … that can be destroyed by passion, by decisions, by success. And we will do this together.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
He stated that he was confident of the conflict being brought to an end by the joint efforts of Ukraine’s European neighbours and international partners.
Drawing on historical parallels, most especially the division of Germany, he added, “A divided Europe was never happy. And a divided Germany was never happy.”
“You don’t need me to tell you this, you know it from your own experience. That’s why you can understand why we Ukrainians are fighting against attempts to divide us … why we are doing everything, everything, absolutely everything so that we do not allow a wall to be created in our country.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
He asserted that Russia must pay for the damage its mission has caused to Ukraine and its people, adding, “It is in all our interests that Russia loses.”
Moreover, the Ukrainian President thanked Germans for their support since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
He thanked Germany “from the bottom of my heart” for the Patriot systems it had delivered to Kyiv, which he said had “helped save thousands of lives.”
He also thanked Germany for giving refuge to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
Zelenskyy Seeks Boost For Ukraine’s Air Defence Capabilities
Prior to his speech at the Bundestag, Zelenskyy echoed his country’s need for air defence during the Ukraine Recovery conference.
He pointed out that Russia’s greatest strategic advantage over Ukraine is “superiority in the sky.”
“It is missile and bomb terror that helps Russian troops advance on the ground,” Zelenskiy said at the conference.
“Air defence is the answer,” he declared.
Zelenskyy said that Russian aerial attacks had already destroyed half of the country’s electricity production since winter
Also at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, Ihor Terekhov, the Mayor of Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, repeated the appeal made by Zelenskyy.
“In an affirmation of what our President said earlier today, we need the most modern air defence conceivable … so as to allow the people to continue to live their lives,” Terekhov stated.
He described to delegates the gruelling day to day effects of the war is having on the citizens and infrastructure.
“We are in a war and it is a brutal war. Every day in Kharkiv people lose their lives. Yesterday too was no exception,” he said.
He noted, “We’d already arrived in Germany and we felt safe and secure. While our city was under attack at the same time.”
“According to the latest statistics published in May, we have had 76 such attacks from the air via Russia. 193 alarms were sounded in the city. Just imagine what this means. 20 times 24 hours of alarm. Regardless of these facts, Kharkiv is not giving in. Kharkiv continues to run, continues to work. Kharkiv is alive.”
Ihor Terekhov
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