NATO countries should stop worrying about any potential reactions from the Kremlin and Russian leader Vladimir Putin as they consider letting Ukraine into the bloc, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, predicting his forces will prevail against Moscow’s invasion.
(Bloomberg) — NATO countries should stop worrying about any potential reactions from the Kremlin and Russian leader Vladimir Putin as they consider letting Ukraine into the bloc, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, predicting his forces will prevail against Moscow’s invasion.
“It is absurd to look over your shoulder at an incapable leader,” the Ukrainian president told parliament on Wednesday, in his first major speech about Ukraine’s future since Putin launched his attack on Ukraine last year. “Even Russia’s internal forces have stopped looking back at the frail master of the Kremlin.”
Zelenskiy outlined a strategic vision for Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union as a modern and digitalized nation, with no Russian forces on its territory.
He said Ukraine will eventually triumph in a victory that will bring peace and security to the nations of the former Soviet Union including Moldova, Georgia and Belarus, which Putin transformed into a launchpad for his attack on Ukraine.
“Some countries and some world’s leaders, alas, still look over their shoulder at Russia while making decisions,” Zelenskiy said. “Ukrainians are proving that it’s not worth it to be afraid of Russia.”
Zelenskiy also opined on issues ranging from Ukraine’s prospects in winning the war to the state of the economy, as well as family policy and legalizing medical marijuana.
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