International-News

Zelensky from Kryvyi Rih: ‘Russia is the only cause of the war. Ten Patriot systems are needed’

Ukrainian president returns to call for air defences: ‘Without force, Moscow will not accept peace’. Denounces the presence of Chinese fighters among Russian troops

One month after the Russian no to the ceasefire, the appeal: ‘A military deterrence force is needed’
From Kryvyi Rih, his hometown hit on 4 April by a Russian ballistic missile that killed 19 people, including nine children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a new appeal to Western allies. ‘Today is exactly one month since Russia rejected the US proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire. This month has shown that Moscow is the only cause of this war,’ he said.

Zelensky denounced the constant pressure of Russian shelling on numerous Ukrainian cities: from Dnipro to Odessa, from Sumy to Kharkiv, stressing that ‘our people, our children are under attack in many towns and villages’. In this context, he reiterated the urgent call for air defence systems, in particular ten Patriots, deemed essential to protect Ukraine from ballistic missile threats.

‘Without force, Russia will not accept peace’
In his speech, Zelensky reiterated a concept already expressed several times: ‘Without force against Russia, there will be no willingness in Russia to accept and implement realistic peace proposals’. His position remains firm on the principle that only credible military deterrence will be able to stop the escalation.

Chinese fighters at the front, president: ‘Moscow wants to prolong the war’
The Ukrainian leader also denounced the presence of Chinese citizens enlisted in the ranks of the Russian army. ‘According to information in our possession, at least several hundred Chinese are fighting as part of the Russian occupation forces. This shows that Moscow is ready to prolong the conflict even at the cost of foreign lives’.

The hypothesis of an international security contingent
Finally, Zelensky addressed the ‘Contact Group for Ukraine’ directly, urging it to plan for the possible creation of an international security force, to be deployed in the event of a cessation of hostilities. ‘It is necessary to clearly define the size, structure, logistics and equipment of a contingent to be deployed in Ukraine to deter future Russian attacks,’ he said in a video message sent to the meeting of allied military leaders.

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