Any “pause” in the defense of Ukraine against the Russian invasion would only help Moscow to rearm and allow it to “crush” this country, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in Tallinn on Thursday, the second day of his tour in the Baltic countries.
“Give the Russian Federation two or three years, and it will crush us. We wouldn’t take that risk […] There will be no pause in favor of Russia,” the Ukrainian president said, responding to a question at a joint press conference with his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis.
“A break on the battlefield, on the territory of Ukraine, is not a break in the war. This doesn’t mean it’s the end of the war. And this does not lead to a political dialogue with the Russian Federation or anyone else,” he insisted.
President Zelensky’s tour comes as Moscow and kyiv accuse each other of targeting civilians in their missile strikes amid a brutal escalation of attacks.
Estonia’s capital Tallinn is the second stop on a tour of the Baltics, Ukraine’s staunch allies, as part of efforts to boost support for Kiev ahead of the second anniversary of the war.
Mr. Zelensky also underlined the importance of international aid to his country, regretting Hungary’s blocking of European aid of 50 billion euros (CA$73 billion).
“We have a delay and a blockage of an important financial package without which it is impossible to survive. Let’s say it’s difficult,” he said at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
This assured him of Estonia’s support for Ukraine “until victory” stressing that “freedom must be armed better than tyranny”.
She also reiterated her government’s promise to spend 0.25% of the country’s gross domestic product on military aid to Ukraine over the next four years.
“We hope this will serve as an example to everyone else,” Ms. Kallas added.
The Ukrainian president also reiterated that NATO membership would be the best security guarantee for his country and the region.
NATO would also gain “an army with military experience, not theoretical but practical,” he added.
“Challenge to the democratic world”
“In this brutal war, on this great battlefield, we are all allies fighting for freedom,” declared Mr. Karis, estimating that “the solution, which consists of pushing back the aggressor, requires a joint effort of all democratic countries.
“All of Russia’s chances in this war rest on the hope that the united front of the allies will break and the Ukrainians will be left alone,” he added. “I assure you that we will do everything to ensure that this does not happen. The war must end with Ukraine’s victory.”
The Estonian president also considered that the West should “have no limits on arms deliveries to Ukraine”.
“When providing military support, we must understand that in a war it is inevitable to attack the military objectives of the aggressor, slow down and weaken the enemy’s forces and defend the Ukrainian people,” he added.
In a statement on X, the Estonian president warned that Russia does not only want to conquer Ukraine.
“Along with other dictators, she challenged the democratic world. Using weapons acquired from North Korea and other state actors, Putin is also leading their fight,” he wrote, calling on Europe to “become militarily powerful.”
During the first leg of his Baltic tour, Wednesday in Lithuania, President Zelensky castigated the Western hesitations regarding financial and military aid to Ukraine, which “only increase the courage and strength of Russia “.