London, Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated on Wednesday that Kyiv will continue to fight the Russian-imposed war until absolute territorial unity is restored.
"This fight for Ukraine will finish when we return our unity, our territory," Zelenskyy stated in a videoconference address to Sciences Po, the National Institute of Public Service, the Ecole Polytechnique, Inalco, and Pantheon-Sorbonne University students in France.
The Ukrainian Embassy in France coordinated the "60 Minutes with Zelenskyy" campaign.
In response to a student's inquiry about how the battle would end, he stated that we would "reclaim what is ours, our territory." "We want to restore peace and liberty to our land."
The Donbas territories of Donetsk and Luhansk broke away from Ukraine in 2014 and were recognised as separate entities by Moscow.
According to Zelenskyy, Kyiv would continue to combat Russian forces until the breakaway territories are integrated.
He also reassured Europeans that the great exodus of Ukrainians was only temporary and that they should not expect a large influx of immigrants. He was certain they would return after the conflict was over. Since the conflict began in February, about 6 million Ukrainians have fled to foreign nations.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia was able to initiate the conflict due to Ukraine's withdrawal from NATO's armed alliance. "I am confident that there would have been no conflict if Ukraine had been accepted to NATO."
He urged the EU to fully incorporate Kyiv into the regional union, rescuing the eastern European country from the fate of "continuous uncertainty."
Ukraine filed for EU membership shortly after the war, but despite promises to expedite the process, formal integration could take years due to the regional body's tough admission process for new countries. "It's as if someone is welcomed and you don't put a chair for them," Zelenskyy remarked, implying that his country cannot be excluded from membership.
He spoke into great length about Russia's alleged war crimes in Ukraine, promising to "bring all offenders to account."
(Research and edit by: The Decision Maker – International Relations editors)
