The Ukrainian President has sharpened his criticism of the West's approach to the war, saying the conflict could be stopped if the world treated the situation 'as if it were facing the same'.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says about 12 million people have been displaced by the war in his country and 5.5 million have left.The European Union is discussing a sixth round of punitive measures but requires unanimity Mr Zelenskiy complained about divisions inside the EU and said pressure on Russia was a "matter of saving lives" He said the conflict could be stopped if the world treated it "as if it were facing the same situation" Speaking on Thursday, he accused the West of playing around with Russia, and urged it to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow to end its "senseless war".
Mr Zelenskyy's criticism of the West has increased in recent days as the European Union has moved slowly towards a possible Russian oil embargo and as thousands of Russian troops have tried to encircle the two eastern cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Three months into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has abandoned its assault on the capital Kyiv and is trying to consolidate control of the industrial eastern Donbas region, where it has backed a separatist revolt since 2014. Western military analysts see the battle for Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk as a possible turning point in the war, after a shift in momentum towards Russia following the surrender of Ukraine's garrison in Mariupol last week. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would remain independent — the only question was what that would cost. "Ukraine will always be an independent state and it won't be broken. The only question is what price our people will have to pay for their freedom, and what price Russia will pay for this senseless war against us," Mr Zelenskyy said in a late-night address. "The catastrophic unfolding events could be still stopped if the world treated the situation in Ukraine as if it were facing the same situation, if the powers that be did not play around with Russia but really pressed to end the war." Mr Zelenskyy complained about disagreements within the EU on more sanctions against Russia and asked why some countries were being allowed to block the plan. The EU is discussing a sixth round of punitive measures, including an embargo on Russian oil imports. It requires unanimity but Hungary opposes the idea on the grounds that its economy will suffer too much.
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