Kiev – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has compared Russia to the Old Testament warrior Goliath, who will be defeated by “Ukrainian David”.
Speaking on February 17 in the form of a video shown at the Munich Security Conference, the leader of Ukraine referred to the fact that Russia “will inevitably fall” this year, and that the Munich conference in 2024 will be post-war.
“I am grateful to everyone who gives a slingshot to the Ukrainian David, thanks to which the Russian Goliath has already tottered. Thank you. We saw it last year. And it will inevitably fall. Already this year! We can do it. All together, like David,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his speech.
He noted, addressing attendees of the event, that “we can make sure there is no alternative to our victory.”
“But then there should be no alternative and our determination. Our decisions to all: on the Dnieper and on the Spree, on the Seine and on the Thames, on the Potomac and on the Vistula, on the Tiber and on the Danube, and on the Jordan, and in all the parts of the world where freedom is valued more than the mercy of a tyrant,” the Ukrainian president said.
Drawing parallels between the biblical characters’ battle, he noted that “decision is never abstract” in the presence of a strong weapon: “the sling must grow stronger”.
“David defeated Goliath not by the power of his speech, but by the power of his actions. Courage and rebelliousness. We have the courage. It is enough. Not only for Ukraine, but also for our entire victory coalition. […] NOW. So next year we will meet here in Munich for the first post-war security conference. Under the condition of a free Ukraine. Free Europe. And the free world,” the Ukrainian president said.
He also stressed that there is no alternative to Ukrainian victory over Russia: “It’s not just about Ukraine. The thing is, Goliath has to lose. There is no alternative to this! Because the Kremlin is capable of breaking the security in the world of everyone represented here in Munich. The backwardness of the world is a resource on which Putin’s dictatorship feeds. It’s been like that for years,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy .
On Russian Intimidation Attempts
Russia’s attempts to intimidate Ukrainian citizens with the threat of massive bombardments on the eve of the anniversary of a full-scale invasion will yield no results. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev on February 17 following talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
“What Russia can do, we understand. It attacks us and uses all options: planes, missile strikes. More importantly, I believe that today, in terms of air defense and protection systems, we are probably at the best level since our independence,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, his press service reports.
He pointed out that thanks to the significant assistance of partners, the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces show high efficiency in destroying enemy missiles and other air weapons.
War and Peace Conference Speakers
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has announced the need to support Ukraine so that it can win the war and remain a sovereign independent state in Europe.
“If President Putin wins in Ukraine, it will be a tragedy for Ukrainians, but it will also be dangerous for all of us,” Stoltenberg said, adding that it would send a message to “authoritarian leaders around the world that when they use the ‘force army, they achieve their goals.’
“And that will make the world more dangerous and also more vulnerable,” reports the North Atlantic Alliance website, Jens Stoltenberg’s remarks at the Munich Security Conference.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on his allies to increase their support for Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia, notes Deutsche Welle.
According to the French leader, the West is ready for a “protracted conflict” in Ukraine. According to the French head of state, this is “not the time to dialogue” with Russia. Emmanuel Macron called on EU countries to invest heavily in defence, strengthen their defense industry sectors and reaffirm the “nuclear dimension of the transatlantic defense alliance”.
Allies with the resources to deliver tanks to Ukraine must act quickly, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, Ukraine’s Radio Liberty Service reports, citing CNN. He noted that Berlin would be of great help in encouraging its partners.
“I regard this as an example of the leadership that everyone has a right to expect from Germany, and I expressly offer it to our friends and partners,” said Olaf Scholz.
However, Scholz also warned that there must be a “balance between giving the best possible support to Ukraine and avoiding unintended escalation”.
An optimistic message for Ukraine
Nikolai Vorobyov, a Johns Hopkins University researcher and political scientist, believes the Ukrainian leader has expressed an optimistic stance on the war, urging the Western world to actively help Ukraine.
“Zelenskyyy’s optimism is linked to the encouragement of Western allies to accelerate the supply of weapons, equipment and combat aircraft for the war with Russia. His words may also be a response to the statement of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Army General Mark Milley, that the war will end with negotiations and Ukraine will not be able to retake all of the territory. “Ukraine was the answer for everyone that Kiev is ready for a complete victory. The main motive of his speech is also that the war will not last long and will end this year,” Nikolai Vorobyov told the correspondent of media’s Russian service.
He notes that today 90% of Ukrainians are attached to Ukraine’s victory over Russia and the reconquest of all territories.
“Even if Zelenskyyy’s team wanted to sign a peace agreement, something like Minsk-3, they couldn’t do it. Possible negotiations can take place – on the exchange of prisoners, for example, but a big problem, even if the Western allies wanted it, with the will to freeze the conflict, with minimal military assistance, or outright sabotage – Ukrainian society is not ready for territorial concessions and will not allow it”, – emphasizes Nikolai Vorobyov.
According to him, in a figurative sense, the ball is on the side of the West, which, by providing Ukraine with the necessary amount of weapons, planes, tanks, will thus help to liberate all the occupied territories.
“But for some reason the West is taking time. There may be behind-the-scenes deals with Moscow. The West must show a firmer position and make up its mind. The “Korean scenario”, which many are talking about now, is unrealistic, mainly because Ukrainian society will not accept it,” said Mykola Vorobyov.
Russia, war and economy
Anatoly Oktisyuk, a political expert at the House of Democracy Analysis Center, notes that macroeconomic forecasts point to growing problems in the Russian economy.
“A huge budget deficit, large military spending – more than 30% of GDP, the cumulative effect of sanctions that work despite the Kremlin’s talk about their ineffectiveness,” Anatoly Oktisyuk told media correspondent Russian Service.
Protracted conflict, Oktisyuk points out, plays into Ukraine’s hands.
“In almost a year since the moment of the large-scale aggression, we were able to strengthen the army, we are entering the second year of the war stronger than we started it. We have political agreements on the supply of NATO equipment, tanks, long-range artillery and support for the international coalition, which President Zelenskyyy talks about in his speech, ”explains the political scientist.
The main message of his speech, according to the expert, is the emphasis and attention on the successful completion of the war for Ukraine, which is supported by a broad international coalition.
“Russia is stuck in this war, in its plans – it was supposed to be a quick and victorious campaign. But it did not happen. As for Ukraine’s joining NATO, the war must first be resolved, but this is really not an alternative path for Ukraine, as noted by the head of state,” said Anatoly Oktisyuk.
