At a time when North American support is at risk due to the political crisis in Washington, Ukraine is trying to secure maximum support from European allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Granada, southern Spain, yesterday to take part in the third summit of the European Political Community – a group that brings together 47 countries and institutions from the region. “Europe is increasing its aid, but can Europe replace the US? Obviously not,” warned the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
Zelensky’s goal is to ensure the strengthening of air defense systems before winter. He does not want to see a repeat of last year’s scenario, when energy infrastructure was constantly targeted by Russian attacks. In addition, Kiev wants to see more support in the Black Sea, where it has tested a new route for exporting its grains after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to renew the agreement negotiated with the United Nations and Turkey.
The Ukrainian president reiterated that “we must win so that Putin does not expand his aggression to other European countries.” In an emotional speech, Zelensky spoke to the leaders of the latter Russian “terrorist attack”, on a shop and a cafe where a vigil took place in the village of Groza, Kharkov region (which he recently visited), where a wake took place. More than 50 people died were involved in this attack, including a six-year-old child, according to a report later updated by local authorities.
“The border with Russia is less than 40 kilometers away. Less than three minutes for an S-300 missile. Russia is terrorizing the city.” claimed Zelensky, saying that despite this, “Kharkov is alive.” The president said the majority of students are taking classes remotely, but there are about a thousand who are taking classes in metro stations and underground, and only effective air defense can bring them back to schools.
“Dear leaders. Are there enough metro stations in your cities to provide safe classes for children if Russian threats become reality?Zelensky asked. ‘Because Russia is preparing for this. The country is considering different scenarios in the coming years,” he added, saying that if Russia is not defeated and manages to rebuild its military capacity, it will attack other countries within five years.
“Several European countries border the terrorist state and in fact Russian propagandists and officials speak of them as the next targets of their aggression… targets. This is exactly the word they useZelensky warned. ‘Our information is clear. Russia is trying to freeze the situation and adapt. He learns from his mistakes and prepares to move on,” he explained.
The Ukrainian president thanked the European Union for military support – yesterday he received six new rocket launchers from Spain, as well as anti-drone systems and demining equipment, and another Patriot air defense system from Germany. And he hopes any divisions among the 27 will not cause problems, despite there already being signs of gaps. For example, Slovakia, where pro-Russian populist former Prime Minister Robert Fico won parliamentary elections, announced it will freeze decisions on the supply of military equipment to Kiev.
Another fuss adding to the situation on the other side of the Atlantic, where Congress – albeit leaderless – has not yet approved a new aid package for the Ukrainians. We are facing a “difficult election period in the US”, a year before the presidential election, and “there are dissenting voices” on aid to Ukraine, said Zelensky, who despite his concerns “trusts the US”.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows how North American public opinion is wavering. 41% of respondents said they agreed that Washington should give weapons to Ukraine, compared to 35% who disagreed. In May this was 46% and 29% respectively. Meanwhile, Washington has announced it will send to Kiev one million rounds of ammunition it seized from an Iranian ship last year and was destined for Yemen.
In addition to participating in the summit itself – an idea of French President Emmanuel Macron, launched a year ago in Prague and held for the third time – Zelensky held several bilateral meetings. He was with Macron, but also with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with the British Head of Government Rishi Sunak, and with the host, the Prime Minister – Spanish Minister, Pedro Sanchez. At the end of the day he met King Felipe VI.
“A New World”
As Zelensky met with European leaders in Grenada, isolated Russian President Vladimir Putin, who turns 71 tomorrow, blamed Western countries for the conflict in Ukraine. “The war, which started by the Kiev regime with active support from the West, has been going on for ten years,” he said at an event organized in Sochi by a Moscow think tank. “The special military operation was launched to put an end to it,” he claimed.
“This is not a territorial conflict, nor is it even the establishment of a regional geopolitical balance,” Putin said. Russia is already the largest country in the world and does not need more territory. This is despite the fact that not only Crimea was illegally annexed in 2014, but also the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk (although the armed forces do not fully control these).
According to Putin, “this issue is much broader and much more fundamental. We are talking about the principles of a new world order.” Putin accuses the West of seeking “hegemony” and “always needing an enemy.” The Russian president also said he had successfully tested a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile, the Burevestnik, while not completely ruling out the possibility of testing a nuclear explosion for the first time in more than three decades. “Theoretically, we can withdraw ratification” of the treaty banning nuclear tests, he said, despite ensuring we are not yet at that level.
Source: DN
