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Ukraine’s Fate Decides Europe’s Security, Warns President Zelenskyy
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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Territorial concessions by Ukraine that Ukrainians cannot accept would only allow Putin to use the captured areas as a springboard to attack Europe if it is not strong enough. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated in an interview with Le Point on September 3.
“Some media claim that if Ukrainian soldiers leave the eastern regions of our country, peace will be restored there. But that is not true. Putin seized Crimea to use it as a springboard to encircle the south. In 2014, he took parts of eastern Ukraine to use them as a springboard for full occupation of these regions,” Zelenskyy stated.
“If tomorrow we were to somehow leave Donbas—which will not happen—we would open unprotected space for Putin, next to the 1.5-million-strong city of Kharkiv. He would also seize the industrial center of Dnipro. This would give him new opportunities,” he said.
According to Zelenskyy, Europeans should think on a larger scale and imagine what would have happened if Putin had succeeded in his original plan to seize all of Ukraine.
“If Putin had managed to capture our entire country, he would have used it in the same way—as a springboard. Whether he does this or not will depend on how strong Europe is. If Europe is strong, he will likely do nothing, but if it is weak, Europe will suffer from Russia’s actions,” Zelenskyy explained.
The president reminded that the distance between Moscow and Paris is less than 3,000 kilometers.
“But the missiles Russia uses against Ukraine today have a range of 2,500 kilometers. We also have missiles with a 3,000-kilometer range. And the war stimulates technological development here in Europe, but also in Russia,” he continued.
“With this technological development, there can no longer be any distant wars. Believe me, in two years the Russians will have many missiles—and so will we—with a range of 5,000 kilometers. No sea will protect anyone, no ocean will protect anyone. In this regard, the weapons Russia uses today are not that different from nuclear delivery systems,” Zelenskyy detailed.
He emphasized that the fate of Ukraine will determine how far the war reaches into Europe and where its eastern border will be.
“If Ukraine does not hold, this border will be Poland or even Germany. Europe was once divided this way. The eastern border of West Germany was the border of the Western world. Today, everything depends on us. How far will we allow Russian ambitions to go?” he concluded.
Previously, it was reported that the European allies have completed preparations for a package of security guarantees for Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed during talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris.
The agreements, drafted at the defense minister level, are now awaiting political approval, according to Macron.
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