Western powers should drop their policy of “appeasement” towards Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a security forum in Munich on Saturday, as concerns grow over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The three-day Munich Security Conference (MSC) kicked off in the Bavarian capital on Friday, with a major focus scheduled to be on the Western strategy to counter the Ukraine crisis.
Notably absent were the official representatives from Russia.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday afternoon, Zelensky warned that the threat of sanctions won’t work if Russia starts bombing Ukraine.
Ukraine has received security guarantees for abandoning the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. We have no weapons. And no security … But we have a right – a right to demand a shift from a policy of appeasement to one ensuring security and peace,” he said at the gathering in Munich.
Citing continued warnings from the US of imminent Russian aggression, Zelensky said that in order to “really help Ukraine, Western countries do not need to constantly talk only about the dates of a possible invasion.”
“We will defend our land on February 16, March 1, and December 31. We need other dates much more. And everyone understands perfectly well which ones,” he asserted.
He emphasised that the only thing “we want is to have peace.”
The president also called for a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in order to avoid any conflict.
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“I do not know what the Russian president wants. For this reason, I propose that we meet,” he said.
Notably, Zelensky was warned not to travel to Munich over fears that Russia may launch an attack in his absence.
Zelensky also said that he wants a “clear” timeframe for when Ukraine can join the NATO alliance.
Questioning why the EU avoids questions over Ukraine’s membership status, Zelensky asked, “Doesn’t Ukraine deserve direct, honest answers?”
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“This also applies to NATO. We are told the door is open. But for now, no outsiders are allowed in,” he said while addressing world leaders in Munich, Kyiv-based news agency Interfax-Ukraine reported.
Notably, one of the security guarantees proposed by Russia to NATO was not to permit Ukraine to join the alliance.
Russia had asked NATO not to expand any further eastward, claiming the organization’s proximity to its borders threaten its national security.
(With inputs from agencies)
