Warning to the West – Zelensky: “Only Moscow benefits from a ceasefire”

A ceasefire would allow Russia to replenish its ammunition reserves, Zelenskiy warned on Thursday during his visit to the Baltic state of Estonia. Russia is currently negotiating missile deliveries with Iran and has received a million shots from North Korea.

Moscow has a “major shortage” of drones, artillery and missiles and could continue to arm itself. It is no coincidence that Moscow is stocking up on weapons from Iran and North Korea, Zelensky said. A ceasefire would also give Russia the opportunity to reposition and regroup itself. “We see this shortage affecting their resilience on the battlefield.” Ukraine will not risk giving Russia two to three years. “It could overwhelm us, and we won’t take that risk.”

Advertising for NATO membership
Ukraine’s head of state also once again promoted his country’s NATO membership. This would be the best security guarantee not only for Ukraine, but also for the Baltic states and Poland bordering Russia and partly Belarus. Without the EU’s support for his country, Ukraine’s survival would be difficult, Zelensky added. He referred to delays in a new financial aid package from the European Union.

Zelensky thanked Estonia for the “constant noticeable support” that the EU and NATO member state, as well as Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, provides to his country, which was attacked by Russia. Estonia has supported Ukraine in many ways and has shown its leading role with 17 military aid packages already, Zelensky said after meeting with his counterpart Alar Karis in Tallinn.

Estonia’s president also called on other allies to increase their military assistance. “Ukraine needs more and better weapons,” Karis said. There should be no restrictions. “We need to increase Europe’s military production capacity so that Ukraine gets what it needs. And not just tomorrow, she should get it today.

Zelenskyj in a special look, but always in olive green
Zelenskyj added a special accent to his standard look in Estonia: small coordinates were embroidered on the left chest of the 45-year-old’s olive green sweater in Tallin on Thursday. They mark the location of the Russian cruiser “Moskva” (Moscow), which was sunk by Ukrainian missiles in the Black Sea in mid-April 2022. Zelenskyj received an olive green sweater as a gift from Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, which he immediately put on for his speech in the Estonian parliament. It has the Estonian term “Kaitsetahe” written on it – in German it means: will to defend. This is also present in the hearts of many Ukrainians, Zelensky emphasized in his speech.

Habsburg demands more support from the EU
Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, the grandson of the last Austrian emperor and chairman of the Austrian Pan-European Movement, has now sharply criticized the EU’s Ukraine policy, but also the FPÖ and the federal government. Under the motto ‘Courage for responsibility’, he called for more support for Kiev and a ‘true European foreign policy’ in his annual speech on the future of the EU in Vienna on Thursday.

In Ukraine, it is not just about a war between Russia and Ukraine, it is about a “defense of Europe against a despotic system,” Habsburg emphasizes. If Russia were to win the war against Ukraine, Russian troops would soon be on the borders with Hungary, Slovakia, Romania or Poland. “Europe would be open to any further aggression from the despot regime in Moscow.” Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not want peace; he has prepared himself and his country for a long war.

Nevertheless, the EU, the ‘rich West’, has not yet been able to supply enough ammunition or weapons systems to Ukraine to allow it to achieve clear fire superiority. “The sooner we use our support to enable Ukraine to expel the Russian army of destruction from the country, the sooner the war will be over,” the grandson of the last Austrian emperor and Hungarian king, Karl, appealed to domestic and European politicians. .

Sharp criticism of the FPÖ
Habsburg-Lothringen, which celebrated its 61st birthday on Thursday, also sharply criticized the FPÖ – but without mentioning it by name. The fact that she left the room during a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in parliament at the end of March last year “and then demonstrated for neutrality with Russian flags shows a serious tendency towards high treason”. “Anyone who allows such parties and politicians to dictate the content of the political debate has lost any claim to leadership,” Habsburg said.