Zelenskyy at European Political Community Summit: Ukraine needs weapons, not diplomatic gestures, against Russian aggression

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday thanked the international community for its support but underscored Ukraine’s need for “sufficient weapons” over diplomatic gestures to counter Russia, in his speech at the European Political Community Summit in Budapest.

“We are defending ourselves not from Russian words, but from Russian attacks, so we need enough weapons, not support. Hugging Putin will not help,” Zelenskyy asserted, emphasizing that dialogue alone had not curbed Russia’s actions.

He criticized past efforts by world leaders to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting, “Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are getting worse. He only thinks about wars and will not change. Only pressure can limit him.”

Zelenskyy called making concessions with Putin “unacceptable for Ukraine and suicide for all of Europe,” alluding to recent discussions on compromise.

“Since the European Political Community summit in Britain in July, there has been a lot of talk about the need to step back and make some ‘deals.’ This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicide for all of Europe,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to a “just peace” but stressed that true peace requires strength and unity. “Peace is a reward only for the strong. Therefore, a strong Europe has no alternative. Unity is necessary for strength,” he concluded.