Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, “Europe is no longer a continent of peace,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told French parliamentarians on Friday, describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “common enemy of his country and Europe.”
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The Ukrainian leader also expressed his hope that the peace summit scheduled for June 15-16 in Switzerland would bring us closer to “a just end to this war.” He added that this conference could be Ukrainian “Victory Day”, the day after the 80th anniversary celebrationsH The anniversary of the Normandy landings, to which he was invited.
Facing a National Assembly that was not yet full, the Ukrainian president painted a black picture of the situation in Europe, where a Russian-led war would bring back “Nazism.” “Once again in Europe, cities are completely destroyed and villages are burned. Once again, liquidation, deportation and hate camps appear in Europe.”
He concluded by saying: “We live in a time when Europe is no longer a continent of peace,” directly attacking the Russian president.
Look at what Putin is doing to his country and its people. It is an area where life no longer has any value. It is the complete opposite of everything we aspire to and the opposite of our values. It is the opposite of freedom, the opposite of equality, and the opposite of brotherhood. “So it is the opposite of Europe, it is anti-European.”
The Ukrainian President thanked France on several occasions for its military and diplomatic support, and while Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday evening the transfer of fighter planes to Kiev, the Ukrainian President stressed that victory is possible, despite the Russian advance on the front. “Can we win this battle? Absolutely, yes,” stressed the Ukrainian president, who spoke for the first time to the French representation.
“For a just peace, more is needed,” he added. “This is not a criticism, this is just about how we can defeat evil and do more today.”
He said: “This battle is at a crossroads. This is the moment in which we can all write the history we aspire to, or we can become victims of history as our enemy wants – and I emphasize our common enemy.”
