Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has welcomed the sanctions against Russia. The country has broken the Minsk Agreement, he said. Meanwhile, Russia evacuated its diplomatic missions in Ukraine.

He also called for security guarantees for his country in the face of fears of a major Russian attack. “Ukraine needs security guarantees. Clear, concrete and immediate,” said Zelenskyy.

“We are under no illusions that Ukraine is not part of any security alliances,” he said. “We defend ourselves with the support of our partners. But it’s the Ukrainians who are dying. That’s why Ukraine needs clarity.” He believes that Russia “must be among the countries that give clear security guarantees.”

Russia unilaterally broke the Minsk agreement, said Zelenskyy. His country is “prepared for anything”.

Zelenskyy described the recognition of the two self-proclaimed “people’s republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states as aggression and a crime against Ukrainian sovereignty. In this assessment, he agrees with Duda and Nauseda.

The Ukrainian President also thanked his counterparts for calling for Ukraine to be granted EU candidate status. In a joint statement, the three countries condemned Russia’s actions. “This unprovoked step of aggression by Russia is another gross violation of the basic norms and principles of international law,” it said.

The international community should take “determined and far-reaching steps” against this aggressive act by Russia. Moscow should withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s borders and the “occupied territories of Ukraine”.

According to the Ukrainian President, the conflict with Russia will have a decisive influence on the future of Europe. “We share the conviction that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our homeland, in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. He thanked the EU and the US for the swift sanctions against Russia.

Image by The Presidential Office of Ukraine (Wikimedia)/Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)