Zelenskyy seeks $5 Bn monthly aid, says Russia wants to 'absorb city after city in Europe'

Russian Federation wants to dictate future world order, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted on Wednesday as he virtually addressed a NATO conference in Madrid. On Wednesday, the embattled leader emphasised that Russia wanted to “absorb city after city in Europe” and that is why it was “absolutely necessary” to safeguard Ukraine. While he reiterated his demand for heavy weaponry, Zelenskyy emphasised that financial aid was equally important, adding that Ukraine requires nearly $5 billion per month for defence and protection. Additionally, he also demanded security guarantees from the west.

"This is not a war being waged by Russia against only Ukraine. This is a war for the right to dictate conditions in Europe – for what the future world order will be like," he said in a virtual address to a summit of the Western defence alliance in Madrid. 

"It wants to absorb city after city in Europe, which the Russian leadership considers its property and not independent states. This is Russia's real goal. The question is – who is next for Russia? Moldova? The Baltic States? Poland? The answer is all of them”, he said. 

'Absolutely necessary to protect Ukraine' 

That is why, Zelenskyy said, it was “absolutely necessary” to support Ukraine, even now, with weapons, finances and political sanctions.  He asserted that his troops needed modern missile and air defence systems to counter Russia's artillery. "By providing them to us, you can completely break Russia's tactics to destroy cities and terrorize civilians," he said.

His remarks came as Russia-Ukraine war entered its 127th day on Thursday. In his latest statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has refuted claims that Kremlin's troops intended to kill innocent civilians at Ukraine's Kremenchuk shopping mall. Asserting that his troops never attack civilians, Putin dismissed Zelenskyy’s claim of it being a “terrorist act”. The missile strike on the crowded mall had resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people, while nearly 59 are wounded and 40 are still missing, according to NPR.  

Earlier, spokesperson for the Russian Defence Ministry, Igor Konashenkov said its military fired a “high-precision air attack at hangars where armament and munitions were stored”, and the explosion of those weapons caches caused a fire in the nearby shopping centre, which he said was “non-functioning” at the time. However, Kyiv has denied that there was a weapons depot nearby. 

(Image: NATO/Twitter)