Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a summit on his peace plan in a European capital. “Wouldn’t that increase Europe’s overall strength? I’m sure it will,” Zelenskyy said yesterday at the EU summit in Brussels, which he was connected to by video.
Zelenskyi presented a 10-point plan with conditions for peace with Russia in November at the G-20 summit in Bali, also via video link. This includes a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and reparations payments. In December Zelenskyy proposed a summit on this, now he is making it happen.
He would also be ready to host the summit in Kiev “in the near future”, Zelenskyy said. “But we are very aware that under the current circumstances, unfortunately, many leaders cannot come to Ukraine,” he said. That is why he is asking for the help of Europeans to carry out this summit.
Life returns to the destroyed villages
After a visit to the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, which was largely recaptured by Ukrainian troops in the autumn, Zelenskyy drew a positive conclusion. “In some places more than 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed,” Zelenskyy said yesterday in his nightly video. “But even in these villages, people are coming back, and that is proof that life is still winning.” Ukraine will do its best “to rebuild our territories”.
Life is even coming back to the fields around Kherson. “It is a pleasure to see how fields in the Kherson region, deforested by Russian mines and shells, are being cultivated and brought back to life,” said Zelenskyy. However, there are still enough fields contaminated with mines. “There is still enough work for our pioneers and pyrotechnicians.” But Zelenskyy emphasized that he was confident these areas would be freed from all of Russia’s deadly legacies. “All of Ukraine will live.”
In this context, Zelenskyy extended special thanks to Finland. Yesterday, the Helsinki government decided to deliver three Leopard mine clearance vehicles to Ukraine.