Russia’s war against Ukraine is the result of indifference by key world powers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Speaking at a ceremony in Vilnius on Sunday marking the memory of those killed in the 1863–1864 January Uprising, Zelensky said Russia’s war on Ukraine - as well as its conflicts with Moldova, Georgia and Chechnya - stemmed from the world’s failure to confront the truth felt by people in the region, and from the indifference of major powers at the end of the Soviet era, in the 1990s and the early 21st century.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine and other Russian wars - against Moldova, against Chechnya, against Georgia - are all consequences of indifference to the truth of our peoples, the truth our people feel, and the indifference shown by key states of the world at the end of Soviet times, in the 1990s and in the early 21st century, when they bet on Russia - on a ‘reset’ with Russia - that ultimately became a burden for all of us,” he said.
Zelensky added that Ukraine and its partners are working to ensure such mistakes are never repeated, and that joint action is strong enough to protect Ukraine—and by extension, Europe.
He urged Europe to act with complete unity so that threats to the continent and to “each of our peoples” no longer exist.
“Europe’s politicians should value the fact that they represent free and independent states - that they don’t have to be commanders of uprisings against an empire or against occupiers. It’s too early to relax in Europe while Russia’s war machine hasn’t stalled and dictators near Europe aren’t weakening. They all look at Europe - at us - as prey,” Zelensky said.
On January 22, during a speech at the forum in Davos, Zelensky sharply criticized Europe. He accused Ukraine’s partners of passivity.
Zelensky also said, “Lukashenko’s spitz has more rights than the people of Belarus.”
