Monitoring Desk
MUNICH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged Western allies to speed up military support for Ukraine, warning at a major international security conference that delays in support would play into Russia’s hand as the invasion approaches its first anniversary.
Ukraine depends on Western military support to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambition of taking control of large areas of the country in what has become a test of other governments’ commitment amid increasing costs.
“There is no substitute for speed because it is the speed that life depends on,” Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. About 40 heads of governments and states, and politicians and security experts from almost 100 countries, including the United States, China, and Europe, were expected to attend.
In his plea for more Western weapons, the Ukrainian president compared Ukraine’s efforts against the Russian invasion to the fight between Goliath and David, saying his country had David’s bravery and courage but needed help getting the sling.
World leaders address Munich conference
“It is not just about Ukraine. The main point is Goliath must lose, and there is no alternative to this because Russia can break the peace and security of all who are represented here at the Munich conference,” Zelensky said in a video address.
He vowed that his country would prevail over Moscow’s aggression but warned that Russia could still “destroy many lives.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that allies with available battle tanks should send them now to Ukraine. “Those who can supply such battle tanks should do so now,” Scholz said, adding he would be “intensively campaigning” for Western allies to move on the issue.
French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a conference in Paris on Europe’s air defense and called for massive investments in defense to live up to the continent’s challenges. “We are prepared for a prolonged conflict. He said that we must be credible in our ability to endure in this effort,” he said.
US Vice President Kamala Harris was set to join the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany at the Munich conference. At the same security conference last year, held just days before Vladimir Putin sent forces into Ukraine, Harris shared US warnings that Russian forces were about to invade its neighbor and said: “Not since the end of the Cold War has this forum convened under such dire circumstances.”
