New York: As Ukraine marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a direct and open appeal to President Donald Trump: don’t walk away.
Speaking to CNN from the presidential palace in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said he wants the US president to stay on Kyiv's side as Ukraine continues its fight against Russia. "They have to stay with a democratic country which is fighting against one person," Zelenskyy told CNN. "Because this person is a war. Putin is a war. It’s all about himself. It’s all about one person."
With the conflict entering its fifth year, Zelenskyy stressed that the United States remains too powerful and too important to step back from supporting Ukraine. He said he hopes Trump will reaffirm backing for Kyiv during his upcoming State of the Union address.
Asked whether Trump is putting enough pressure on Putin, Zelenskyy replied: No. While reiterating that he wants the war to end as soon as possible, Zelenskyy rejected the idea of conceding to Russian demands.
"We can’t just give him everything he wants. Because he wants to occupy us," he told CNN. "If we will give him all he wants, we will lose everything — all of us, people will have to run away or be Russian."
The war, triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed, cities destroyed and hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides killed or wounded.
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India abstains from UN resolution vote India abstained in the UN General Assembly this week on a draft resolution that called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. The draft resolution, 'Support for lasting peace in Ukraine,' coming on the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of its neighbor, was adopted by the 193-member UN General Assembly, with 107 nations voting in favour, 12 against and 51 abstentions. India was among the 51 member states abstaining from the resolution, introduced by Kyiv, along with Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and the United States. |
