Zelensky: Ukraine 'left alone' to defend against Russian invasion
Ukraine's president said Friday his country had been left on its own to fight Russia after the Kremlin launched a large-scale invasion that killed 130 Ukrainians on the first day.
In a late-night speech on February 24 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, European leaders were afraid to lay out the path for Ukraine's NATO membership.
" Today, I have asked 27 European leaders whether Ukraine will be in NATO. I have asked directly - everyone is afraid, no one answers. But we are not afraid, we are not afraid of anything. We are not
afraid to defend our country, we are not afraid of Russia, we are not afraid to talk to Russia, we are not afraid to talk about anything, about security guarantees for our country, we are not afraid of
talking about neutrality, we are not NATO members at the moment. But what guarantees will we get? And most importantly which countries will give us those guarantees? " he said
Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine by land, air, and sea on Thursday, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two and confirmation of the worst fears of the West.
Zelensky said 137 Ukrainians, both military personnel and civilians, died in the fighting and 316 people have been wounded since the start of the attack early Thursday.
" Defending the Zmiinyi Island, all our border guards died a heroic death. But they have not surrendered. They will all be awarded posthumously the title of the Hero of Ukraine. Let those who
gave their lives for Ukraine be remembered forever.” he added
"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 give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid," Zelensky said to the nation after midnight.
He also said that Russians had entered the capital Kyiv, and urged the city's citizens to remain vigilant and observe a curfew.
He added that he and his family remained in Ukraine.
"I remain in the capital, my family is also in Ukraine, my children are in Ukraine. My family are not traitors, they are citizens of Ukraine. Where exactly they are I have no right to say. According to the information we have the enemy has marked me as target No 1, my family as target No 2. They want to damage Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.”
