Russia has committed another act of escalation by striking the Dnipro River with a new ballistic missile. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The President emphasized that Russia’s use of these weapons is a clear and serious increase in the scale and brutality of this war and a cynical violation of the UN Charter. According to him, this is the second step towards escalation by Putin this year.
“The first such step was the involvement of North Korea in the war against Ukraine – a contingent of at least 11 thousand soldiers,” Zelensky emphasized.
The President also accused Putin of ignoring the international community’s calls for de-escalation of the conflict.
“He does not care about the calls of China, Brazil, European countries, America and everyone else. Putin is the only one who started this war – a completely unprovoked war – and who is doing everything to keep the war going for more than a thousand days,” Zelensky said.
Zelenskyy emphasized that the current strike is yet another proof of Russia’s unwillingness to achieve peace.
“And Putin is lying when he says that Ukraine’s alleged use of long-range weapons has become some kind of a new step. This is not the first time we have used these weapons. And we have every right to do so under international law; our right to self-defense is the same as that of any other nation. And when Russian missiles hit our cities, when Iranian “shahids” attack Ukraine every night, when a contingent from North Korea is deployed on our border, Putin not only makes the war longer, he simply spits in the face of those in the world who really want to restore peace,” the president emphasized.
The international community, according to Zelenskyy, must react harshly to Russia’s actions, otherwise Putin will perceive it as a signal of impunity.
“The world must react to this. Now there is no strong reaction from the world. We need to react. We need to put pressure. We need to force Russia to a real peace, which is possible only through force. Otherwise, there will be endless Russian strikes, threats and destabilization, and not only against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy summarized.