The Ukrainian president in a televised address said that the country had been left alone to defend themselves and NATO was ‘afraid’ to give any guarantees
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that that he and his family remained in Ukraine, despite Russia identifying him as “target number one”. AFP
Day 1 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine ended with the East European country suffering mass casualties — 137 Ukrainians, both military personnel and civilians — and another 300 people being wounded.
In a late night video address, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “We have been left alone to defend our state. Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone.”
“Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid,” he added.
Zelenskyy also said that Russian “sabotage groups” had entered the capital Kyiv, and urged the city’s citizens to remain vigilant and observe a curfew.
The president added that he and his family remained in Ukraine, despite Russia identifying him as “target number one”.
“They want to destroy Ukraine politically by taking down the head of state,” Zelenskyy said.
The tone of the Ukrainian president’s address at night was very different from the one that he had delivered earlier in the day, just after Vladimir Putin had announced a ‘military operation’ against Ukraine.
In the previous address in which he introduced martial law, Zelenskyy said, “This is a completely groundless, cynical invasion. We, the citizens of Ukraine, have been determining our own future since 1991. But now, what is being decided is not only our country’s future, but also the future of how Europe will live.
“We are working. The army is working. Don’t panic. We are strong. We are ready for everything. We will defeat everyone. Because we are Ukraine.”
In his night speech, Zelenskyy also hinted that he was ready to drop Ukraine’s push for NATO membership and maintain neutral status.
He said that he wasn’t afraid of negotiations with Moscow on issues including Ukraine’s neutral status and security guarantees.
For the unversed, Ukraine has long been demanding membership in NATO and the country had even made a constitutional commitment to the same in 2019.
How Russia reacted?
Following his speech and the attacks, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was prepared to negotiate terms of surrender.
According to RT.com, Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin wanted Ukraine to promise to be neutral and not aspire to be a NATO member and not keep any Western weaponry on its territory, adding that those are conditions for Russia to sit on the negotiating table.
The terms will enable “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine, Peskov alleged.
With inputs from agencies
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