President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Photo: president.gov.ua
Absence at Official Events
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky did not attend the ceremonial events dedicated to the opening of the NATO summit anniversary in Washington. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted a reception where heads of state arrived with their spouses, posing for photos under the live orchestra music.
Zelensky and his wife were listed in the program, but their presence on the red carpet and inside the hall was absent. The official Ukrainian delegation included the Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak, Ministers Rustem Umerov and Dmytro Kuleba, and Vice Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna. The President’s press service did not respond to TSN’s inquiry about Zelenskyy’s absence reasons, stating only that he was “preparing for the next event.”
Visit to the Famine Memorial
On Tuesday morning, Zelenskyy laid flowers at the
Famine Memorial in Washington with his wife. He was asked how the shelling of the “Okhmatdyt” hospital changes Ukraine’s demands on its partners. Zelenskyy responded: “I believe that after such shelling, President Biden and other leaders may become more decisive.”
Speech at the Ronald Reagan Institute
During his speech at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington at the NATO summit, Zelenskyy made several important statements. He emphasized that “the personal story of the dictator of the Russian Federation, Putin, must end for the world history to become enduring.” Zelenskyy underscored that the Ukrainian people are doing everything possible using available resources.
“We have proven more than once: the more we have, the harder it is for Putin to wage war,” Zelenskyy said. He noted that Putin still believes that war and humiliation of America can yield results. “Throughout his rule, he has tried to humiliate America and break the lives of free peoples.”
Zelenskyy also stated that together with America, the world is capable of doing the right things. “When we all act strongly and decisively, this should be our strategy. With all the American power that no ‘Putins’ can overcome. Because America, as we know, is too big for small deeds,” he added.
Need for F-16 Fighters
President of Ukraine stated that to achieve air parity with Russia, Ukraine needs at least 128 Western F-16 fighters. He noted that Russian forces use at least 300 aircraft daily against the Ukrainian Armed Forces and civilian objects.
“We had a decision for 10-20. Even if there will be 50 – it’s nothing. We are defending ourselves, we need 128. This is a fleet,” emphasized Zelenskyy. He added that until Ukraine receives the necessary number of F-16s, it will be very difficult for it to compete in the sky with the enemy.
The President also noted that Russia’s actions in southern Ukraine can be significantly limited and Russian occupiers can be driven out from there if the US leadership helps Ukraine with the necessary capabilities for deep strikes against Russian military and logistical objects in Crimea.
Putin’s Attitude Towards Biden and Trump
Responding to an American journalist’s question about Putin’s attitude towards Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the President of Ukraine noted that the Russian dictator will hate any US president, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office after the 2024 elections. “Putin doesn’t like America. And he hates Ukraine. Because he hates democracy. Biden and Trump are very different, but they stand for democracy. So I think Putin hates them both,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
Participation of Foreign Ministers at the Summit
Foreign ministers from 35 partner countries not part of NATO were invited to the summit, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
This is the third summit in a row where not only heads of state from all 32 NATO member countries were present, but also leaders of Indo-Pacific partner countries: Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand. According to The New York Times, Ukraine will not receive an invitation to join the Alliance at the summit in Washington due to the positions of the US and Germany. It is noted that NATO does not want to admit a new member that could drag the Alliance into the largest land war in Europe since 1945 due to the collective security pact.
Source: nikk
