Ukraine strives to end war "with dignity" in current year – Zelensky
Photo: Office of the President
During his speech at the Ramstein format meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is fully committed to ending the war this year. It is a shared goal among Ukraine and its allies, and not Russia.
Zelensky stated that at the Ramstein format meeting.
"I am doing everything possible to ensure that this year, this war ends with dignity for Ukraine and all of Europe. And I know that I can count on your support. We must all remember that ending the war is our common goal – ours, not Russia's; this is what Ukrainians, Europeans, Americans, and many of our global partners want," Zelensky said.
He also noted that countries such as Japan, Saudi Arabia and Argentina also want peace for Ukraine.
On the other hand, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not just retaining his investments in aggressive actions but also increasing them, specifically at the cost of North Korea. As reported by Zelensky, North Korea is observing and learning about modern warfare by using Russia as a model.
"They do not value their people; they are losing them – 4 thousand [as for – ed.] today. But Pyongyang is getting cheap experience for re-exporting war, perhaps there, in the Indo-Pacific region," the president said.
He believes that the cooperation between Russia and the DPRK demonstrates Putin's weakness.
"No ruler in Moscow would ever stoop to begging in Pyongyang if he did not face critical problems. Therefore, we must continue to put pressure on Russia. This is what guarantees that our soldiers will receive the necessary weapons.
That is what sanctions are for. And I ask all our partners—especially the US and the EU—to increase the heat in Russia's energy sector," Zelensky said.
He believes that sanctions should be imposed against all elements of the Russian energy sector, and the Russian tanker fleet should be stopped. After all, Russia's military budget 2025 is 25% higher than last year's.
"If we want to stop the killings, we must cut off Putin's money flow. Putin will only start thinking about peace when his inner circle tells him he has run out of money," Zelensky stressed.
For reference:
On Thursday, January 9, a meeting in the "Rammstein" format was held, which was attended for the last time by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky also arrived in Germany for the Ramstein format meeting. He is also scheduled to hold talks at the level of defense ministers and military commanders.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin met within the framework of the Ramstein format meeting. They have already discussed preparations for the meeting and important areas of cooperation.
At this meeting, the United States announced a new $500 million package of military assistance to Ukraine.
At the same time, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said such a meeting in the Ramstein format could be the last one.
It should be noted that the UDCG is a coalition created to coordinate efforts to provide military assistance to Ukraine. At least two NATO member countries lead each coalition. The first meeting of the Contact Group took place on April 26, 2022, at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany, with 40 countries participating.
Currently, the Ramstein Contact Group includes approximately 50 countries that provide military assistance to Ukraine. At the penultimate meeting, Argentina joined Ramstein.
Since its establishment in 2022, the Allies have allocated more than $126 billion to support Ukraine.
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