President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address marking the 35th anniversary of Independence that Ukraine would not agree to give up Donbas in exchange for a quick end to the war. According to him, Russia does not want peace, so Ukraine needs to strengthen its army, defence production and pressure on Moscow.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an address on August 24.
The president stressed that he considers Ukrainians who took responsibility for the state and stood up to defend it to be the main achievement of independence. He thanked the military personnel who defended the capital, liberated the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions and continue to hold the defence in Donbas.
The president devoted a separate part of the address to Ukraine’s defence-industrial complex. According to him, tens of thousands of unmanned ground systems are already carrying out dangerous missions on the front, maritime drones are operating against the Russian fleet, while long-range weapons are striking Russian logistics and revenues.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian long-range strikes had already reached Moscow, Tula, Ryazan, Olenya, Omsk and other locations.
“Flamingos should not be a rare species, but a mass bird. They should winter in Russia,” the president said.
He also said that Ukraine is currently shooting down more than 90% of Shahed drones, and after Russia switched to jet-powered drones, Ukraine is already intercepting them as well. Zelenskyy said the next task is to find an effective response to Russian ballistic strikes.
Speaking about possible agreements with Moscow, the president rejected the option of giving up Donbas.
“We will not let them seize the initiative and deceive Europe and the whole world into believing that we should simply give up Donbas and everything will quickly end. There are no illusions, there is no trust in them,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, Russia keeps postponing the deadlines by which it expects to capture the entire Donetsk region.
“Ukraine is different and does not give away what is its own. Russia does not want peace, it wants mobilisation,” he said.
Zelenskyy called on partners to increase pressure on Russia, including by imposing tougher sanctions and providing Ukraine with the necessary weapons.
“We finally need sanctions that will make them howl. Ukraine must be given everything that will force them to end the war. We are not asking you to fight for us. Give Ukraine everything it needs to stop this war, to stop it faster than Putin can start the next one,” the president said.
Zelenskyy also addressed China, saying that Beijing should respond to nuclear threats and demonstrate its ambition to be one of the world’s leaders not only economically and technologically, but also “in civilizational terms.”
At the end of the address, the president recalled that Ukraine restored its independence 35 years ago and faced a new test on February 24, 2022.
“Ukraine certainly wants peace very much, but it is not ready to simply give up and surrender,” Zelenskyy concluded.
