PRESS RELEASE : NATO can still prevent the deaths of Ukrainians from Russian strikes by providing weapons – Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 24 March 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on NATO to provide our country with military assistance to the extent that will enable the Ukrainian army to oppose the military arsenal of the Russian Federation.

“Ukraine does not have powerful anti-missile weapons, and has a much smaller aircraft fleet than Russia. Therefore, their advantage in the sky is like the use of weapons of mass destruction. And you see the consequences today – how many people were killed, how many peaceful cities were destroyed,” the Head of State noted during the speech in the video conference format at the NATO summit in Brussels.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the Ukrainian army has been resisting the Russian invasion for a month in unequal conditions. Russia’s superiority has resulted in numerous casualties, including among the civilian population of Ukraine.

“To save people and our cities, Ukraine needs military assistance – without restrictions. As Russia uses without restrictions its entire arsenal against us. Destroys all living things. Any objects – from houses to churches, from food warehouses to universities, from bridges to hospitals,” the President said.

He reminded that Ukraine had asked NATO to close the skies for Russian military aircraft or to provide aircraft.

“You have thousands of fighter jets! But we haven’t been given any yet. We asked for tanks. So that we can unblock our cities that are now dying – Mariupol, Berdyansk, Melitopol, others. Cities where Russia is keeping hundreds of thousands of people hostage and artificially creating famine – no water, no food, nothing there. You have at least 20,000 tanks! Ukraine asked for a percent, one percent of all your tanks to be given or sold to us! But we do not have a clear answer yet. The worst thing during the war is not having clear answers to requests for help,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The Head of State stressed that Ukraine had never wanted this war and did not want to fight for years.

“We just want to save our people. We want to survive,” he added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed: the North Atlantic Alliance can still prevent the deaths of Ukrainians from Russian strikes by providing weapons needed by the Ukrainian army.

At the same time, the President thanked those NATO member states that help Ukraine as much as they can. But now is the time to take care of security in Europe.

“I am sure you already understand that Russia does not intend to stop in Ukraine. Does not intend and will not. It wants to go further. Against the eastern members of NATO. The Baltic states, Poland – that’s for sure,” he said.

The President called on the Alliance to provide Ukraine with one percent of all their aircraft and tanks, as well as MLRS systems, anti-ship weapons, air defense equipment.

“When all this is finally available, it will give us, and you as well, one hundred percent security,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He also made a request to NATO regarding the Ukrainian military: “After such a war against Russia, I ask you: Never, please, never tell us again that our army does not meet NATO standards. We have shown what our standards are capable of. And how much we can give to the common security in Europe and the world. How much we can do to protect from aggression against everything we value, everything you value,” the President stressed.

At the same time, the President added that NATO had yet to show what the Alliance can do to save people, “to show that this is truly the most powerful defense union in the world.”