WASHINGTON: In a joint press conference at the White House on Wednesday (local time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked US President Joe Biden for sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine, saying they will ‘significantly’ bolster their defence.
Zelenskyy also said a ‘just peace’ with Russia is impossible, due to the amount of suffering the invaders have already inflicted on their country.
Biden officially announced in a news conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the US will send an additional $1.8 billion package of assistance to Kyiv, which will include the Patriot missile defence system.
“This is a very important step to create secure airspace for Ukraine and it will be the only way we would be able to deprive the terrorist country to strike our energy sector, our people and our infrastructure,” said Zelenskyy.
He said that the main focus of the talks was “to strengthen Ukraine” and that he’ll have “good news returning home” because of the US package of assistance to Ukraine. The “strongest element of this package is the Patriots,” Zelenskyy added.
“Russia needs to be held accountable against us, our people, against Europe and the free world,” added Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy said his country, along with those supporting Ukraine, is fighting for “victory against this tyranny.”
“We really fight for our common victory against this tyranny that is real life — and we will win,” he said in a news conference, following his bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.
“I really want to win together,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “Not want, sorry, I’m sure, adding that there is a sense of shared values and ‘understanding of life'”.
He said he has no message to send to Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, “what kind of message can I send him after he destroyed our lives? He is destroying us.”
He added, “I believe there is something mortal about his inadequate approach to the world. Why do we need to send him a message? He needs to be interested in getting attention from the world because he’s not a subject of civilized people. He should be interested in trying to save something of the culture and history of his country. So that’s his problem now.”
Zelenskyy also thanked the US Congress for its bipartisan support saying he was confident that it will continue.
This is his first foreign trip since Russia launched an offensive in his country in February.
Earlier, Putin insisted Russia was not to blame for the war, claiming it was “the result of the policy of third countries”. (ANI)