Zelenskyy to Macron, Scholz and Сo.: Russia doesn't want peace, it wants war
MAZURENKO ALYONA — THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022, 18: 29
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis that Russia does not want peace, but only wants war, and to destroy Ukraine and the EU.
Source: Briefing of the parties on the results of the meeting on 16 June
Quote: "There is a direct relationship: the more powerful weapons we get, the faster we can liberate our people and our land…
We touched upon (16 June - ed.) the topic of diplomatic efforts made by various parties to restore peace today. Everyone sees that the only obstacle to all these efforts is the lack of Russian Federation’s readiness for real actions, for real negotiations aimed at restoring peace.
Russia doesn't want peace, it wants nothing but war…
The aggressor state must realise that peace has no alternative and must start looking for peace, but in the meantime, we all see and hear today, when the air alarm siren sounded, that Russia is only looking for new ways to intimidate Europe and seize more and more of our land.
Russia's goal in this war is to destroy Ukraine and destroy Europe through it. Russia wants to show that European unification is supposedly unable to be effective and that European values cannot work to protect freedom.
We must work together to destroy this scenario."
Details: The president added that Ukraine's candidacy to the EU can break Russia's plans.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine understands that the path to the EU will be long, but Ukraine is ready to work on it and deserves the status of a candidate.
He also voiced Ukraine's needs for weapons: "We expect new supplies, first of all, heavy weapons, modern rocket artillery, missile defence systems, etc."
According to him, every day of delay in the supply of weapons is a sacrifice among the civilians and military of Ukraine.
Background:
- On the morning of 16 June leaders of France, Germany, Romania, and Italy arrive in Kyiv.
- During the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to Kyiv, Russian leader Vladimir Putin decided to launch missiles.
- After meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Kyiv, the leaders of Germany, Italy, Romania, and France spoke in favour of an "immediate" status candidate for EU membership for Ukraine.
