Zelenskyy: Democracy needs weapons, it needs a victory this year
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on participants to preserve respect for democracy in countries where freedom has not yet won, speaking via video link at the Democracy Summit 2023, organised by US President Joseph Biden.
Source: Interfax-Ukraine; Voice of America
Details: As the president of Ukraine noted in a video address on 29 March, Russia has long been at war with many democracies around the world, using mechanisms of disinformation, corruption, election interference, espionage, and cybercrime, and now also attempting to provoke a global energy and food crisis.
"The enemies of freedom have not lost a single year in recent decades! They channelled all their time and unlimited money, which they gained in trade with the free world, – to weaken and to corrupt and to undermine democracy. But have all the efforts of the free world been aimed at limiting the aggressive potential of tyrants and autocrats and at bringing them to legal responsibility for their crimes? Unfortunately – no. We have to fix it."
He is convinced that "democracy must learn to be uncompromising in the face of evil".
Quote from Zelenskyy: "First. We should not think how to save Putin's face in order to allegedly reduce the cost of fighting him. We should think how to preserve respect for democracy in those countries where freedom has yet to win.
Second. Defenders of democracy should help with all the weapons that will be reliable to ensure the defeat of the aggressor."
Details: The Ukrainian leader said that "the Kremlin is trying to turn even the food supply into a weapon" and that this is "a war against freedom and democracy".
He called on the Summit participants to freeze the assets of the Russian oligarchs more actively, as "they must have the motive to act in defence of freedom and put an end to the Kremlin's aggression and terrorist rule".
In addition, Zelenskyy called it unpleasant that "sanctions against Russia are much slower than Russian aggression".
Zelenskyy compared the fight between the Ukrainian military and the Russian army to a fire: firefighters cannot wait several months for fire trucks or adopt a rule that fire hydrants should be mandatory only for short distances.
Quote: "When our fighters repel the assaults near Bakhmut, they cannot wait for weeks before firing an artillery shot in response to the enemy's actions. The fire must be immediate and neutralise the threat. All our decisions should be just as quick. Democracy needs a victory. This year, not later, that we are able to ensure it. Ukraine and everyone who helps. But we need to act faster."
Details: US President Joe Biden opened the Summit for Democracy with a pledge to provide another US$690 million to support democracy programmes around the world over the next two years. At the first summit, more than US$400 million was pledged.
"We are witnessing an unprecedented unity among democracies that condemn Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and stand in solidarity with the brave Ukrainian people as they defend their democracy," the American leader said.
About 120 world leaders are taking part in the summit, which is being held online. During their opening speeches at the summit on 29 March, almost every speaker mentioned the war in Ukraine.
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