Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took a swipe at any leaders attempting dialogue with Vladimir Putin to make domestic political gains, calling for more action from Europe to push Russia “towards a just peace.”
In remarks to the European Parliament on the 1,000th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy thanked EU lawmakers for “ensuring that not one of the thousand days of this terrible war became a day of betrayal of our common European values.”
“Do not forget how much Europe is capable of achieving. And if we could stop Europe’s way of life from falling down, we can surely push Russia towards a just peace,” he said, adding that this is something Russia is not interested in.
But Zelenskyy was not all praise for the bloc.
“While some European leaders think about, you know, some elections or something like this at Ukraine’s expense, Putin is focused on winning this war. He will not stop on his own,” he warned.
He added: “If anyone in Europe thinks they can sell Moscow Ukraine or any other country like the Baltic states or the Balkans, Georgia, Moldova, and gain something in return, let them remember this simple truth: No one can enjoy calm water amid a storm.”
He was likely referring to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who — amid preparations for a campaign for early elections next year — spoke with the Russian president by phone on Friday.
The call was criticized by some European allies, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was forced to admit Tuesday that the discussion was “not that effective as all of us would have hoped” and that Putin “is not willing to negotiate about anything,” the DPA press agency reported.
