The President of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, accused Germany and Hungary in an interview broadcast on the BBC today of blocking efforts to embargo energy imports from Russia.
The president affirmed that the European countries that continue to acquire Russian oil are favoring their economy “thanks to the blood of others.”
“Some of our friends and partners -on the other hand- have understood that times have changed, that we are no longer facing a problem of business and money. We are facing a question of survival,” Zelensky said.
“The United States, the United Kingdom and some European countries are trying to help, and they are helping, but we still need them to do it faster and sooner,” the Ukrainian president added.
Addressing the situation in the port city of Mariupol, under intense Russian bombardment for weeks, he noted that “in addition to the tens of thousands of people who have died, many more have disappeared.”
“We know that your documents have been replaced. They were given Russian passports and sent to deep Russia. Some to fields, some to other cities. No one knows what is happening to these people. No one knows how many have been killed,” he stated.
He stressed that the atrocities apparently perpetrated by Russian troops in Mariupol, Bucha and other places in Ukraine have reduced the chances that peace negotiations with Moscow will succeed.
“Bucha is closing” the chances of a deal, Zelensky told the British network.
The president defended his management in the weeks before the Russian invasion, when his government urged the Ukrainians to remain calm and cooled the prospects of an attack.
He explained that during those days his Executive was working to close agreements that would allow him to acquire weapons and other supplies, as well as to prevent panic from spreading among the population.
“That’s what Russia wanted, and not just Russia, but we didn’t let that happen,” he said.
“They can destroy us, but we will fight back. They can kill us, but they will die too. I cannot understand why they have come,” Zelensky added.
