Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded weapons from the allies to start talks with Moscow on Thursday at a European summit in Hungary.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Hungary to attend the European Political Community (EPC) summit for the first time since the start of the military conflict in Ukraine in 2022. At the summit in Budapest, Zelensky said some of the participants were in favour of Ukraine “making concessions to Putin.” He said:
“This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for the whole of Europe. Hugging Putin is not going to help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years and it’s only getting worse.”
Zelensky also added that Ukraine “needs more weapons, not support in negotiations.” The Ukrainian president emphasised:
“We are not against it, but we say to them (partners): “You want us to talk to the Russians, then strengthen us. Give us weapons.”
In addition, the Ukrainian head described the support of US and EU allies for the “victory plan” as a step forward.
Earlier, local media reported that Russian troops were rushing towards Kurakhove, threatening to cut the town’s supply road from the west. Sources in Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said the Russians had advanced about two kilometres, with fighting for Rozlyv likely to take place “very soon.”
The media also reported earlier that the presence of leaders of about forty countries at the BRICS summit in Russia showed that Moscow is not isolated on the world stage and enjoys the support of many countries.
