At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the outcome of the war in his country endangered not only Ukraine but the future of international order.
His country is attempting to push the Russians out of territories it has occupied from the beginning of the conflict, as well as defending itself against furious Russian strikes in the country’s east, particularly near Sievierodonetsk.
Noting the support received thus far from the West and its Asian allies, Zelensky, speaking via video link from an undisclosed location in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, said it was critical that the countries delivering aid do not stop.
“I appreciate your assistance… but this assistance is not just for Ukraine, but also for you,” he stated.
“The future rules of this world, as well as the limitations of the achievable, are being decided on the battlefields of Ukraine.”
Russia is blocking ports in the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, preventing Ukrainian food shipments from reaching the global market, he said.
He claims that this harms not only Ukrainians but the entire world.
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“If we are unable to export our products owing to Russian blockades,” he warned, “the globe will confront an acute and severe food crisis and starvation in many places in Asia and Africa.”
Russian activities, Zelenskiy claimed, were directly linked to rising commodity prices, claiming that Russia first restricted energy to drive up costs, and was now doing the same with food.
Russia refers to its efforts in Ukraine as a “special operation,” claiming that they are not intended to take territory but rather to damage Ukraine’s military capabilities and catch those it considers to be dangerous nationalists.
Zelensky told 575 delegates from 40 nations that his troops had no plans to invade Russian territory: “Please keep in mind that the conflict is being fought on our country.
People are dying in Ukraine… We do not wish to visit Russian territory.”
Kateryna Zelenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Singapore, emphasized the importance of extra aid.
“We recognize it will take time,” she explained, “but time is something we don’t have.”
(Chen Lin and Kanupriya Kapoor contributed reporting; Gerry Doyle wrote the story; Raju Gopalakrishnan edited it.)
