President Zelenskyy: We need to act now to prevent Russia and its allies from adapting to our capabilities

“True peace can only be achieved through strength, and the entire next week will be dedicated to working with our partners for the sake of such strength, for the sake of true peace,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a traditional address to the Ukrainian nation on October 13.

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Now we are already preparing for new negotiations that will take place this week. We will continue to present our strategy for forcing Russia into peace to our European partners. The teams of our state and the teams of leaders of our partners who have already been presented with the Victory Plan continue to work out the details – joint steps are needed, and these must be strong steps. There are some additional issues that need to be agreed upon with our partners. But our partners have all the necessary potential, and it is entirely realistic to strengthen our state’s positions, Ukraine’s positions, in the way necessary for a just peace. And we need to act right now to prevent Russia and its accomplices from adapting to our capabilities. We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like North Korea. This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces. Obviously, in such circumstances, our relations with partners need to develop further. The frontline needs more support. When we talk about giving Ukraine greater long-range capabilities and more decisive supplies for our forces, it’s not just a list of military equipment. It’s about increasing the pressure on the aggressor – pressure that will be stronger than what Russia can handle. And it’s about preventing an even larger war.

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine