He said this in an interview with US podcaster Lex Friedman, which was published on the YouTube channel of the Office of the President of Ukraine on Sunday, January 5.
“I only asked one thing from the United States. If you’re sure, if you have proof, if you talk to him – and he tells you there’s going to be an invasion. If you are scared by all this. One, I’m not asking for proof. Just give me two things. Strengthen us with arms. But the best thing is to strengthen us with preconditions so that there is no war. First of all, not the weapons – I asked for their sanctions. Intimidate him. Please don’t say that if he comes, if he comes across the borders, if he kills, we will impose sanctions. Well that’s ch…nia, I’m sorry. Realistically”, stated V. Zelenskis.
“They should all be in jail”
During the interview, V. Zelensky also criticized the signatories of the Budapest Memorandum, who, according to him, showed indifference to Ukraine and its security.
The President of Ukraine reminded that the main purpose of the document was to ensure Ukraine’s defense in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons.
According to him, the drafters of the memorandum, which pressured Ukraine to give up nuclear weapons, should be “put in jail” because the promised security guarantees did not help, despite Ukraine’s numerous requests for violation of territorial integrity.
“(Ukraine) was pressured by America and pressured by Russia for Ukraine to give up (nuclear weapons). Ukraine agreed because it was assured that the country would be territorially intact. It is a nuclear five that does not even provide security guarantees. Now we just need to find those people, they should be put in prison, who, frankly speaking, invented all this”, said V. Zelenskis.
According to him, in 2014 After Russia’s occupation of Crimea and part of Donbas, Ukraine sent letters to all members of the Budapest Memorandum three times in a few years to urgently meet and hold consultations.
“Everyone should participate in consultations, everyone should come urgently – the United States, Great Britain, Russia, France, China. Has anyone done any consulting? No. Why? Da po… er. Russian is clear, isn’t it? As in Russian it was po… isand other guarantors had po… is for this country, for these people, for these security guarantees,” the president is confident.
Similar letters were sent after the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion. However, this did not yield any results. Therefore, “sheets of paper” with security guarantees cannot be trusted, V. Zelenskis added.
Source: www.15min.lt
