The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, participated this Tuesday by videoconference in the G20 leaders’ summit that is being held in Bali, Indonesia. In his speech, the president said that it is time to end Russia’s “destructive war” against his country and proposed a 10-point road map for the end of the conflict.
“I am convinced that now is the time when Russia’s destructive war must and can end,” declared Zelenskywho participated in the summit at the invitation of the president of Indonesia.
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The agent of Ukraine had been invited to participate in person, but finally intervened by video conference.
“We will not allow Russia take a breather, rebuild your forces and then start a new episode of terror and destabilization”, said Zelensky to the G20 leaders, according to the transcript of his speech, held behind closed doors.
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“Thousands of ours, military and civilian, are in Russian captivity. They are subjected to brutal torture, this is mass abuse… we know by name 11,000 children who were forcibly deported to Russia.”said Zelensky.
“Add to that hundreds of thousands of deported adults, and you see what a humanitarian catastrophe the Russian war has caused. Add political prisoners: Ukrainian citizens who are detained in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territory, in particular in Crimea. We must free all these people…we must unite for the only realistic model of prisoner release: all for all”.
Zelensky performed the intervention after returning from Khersonwhere since this Saturday the Ukrainian forces regained control of more than 60 settlements in that region after the withdrawal of the Russian army.
“Kherson it is the only regional center that Russia managed to occupy since the invasion of February 24. And now Kherson is liberated.” Zelensky said.
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putindid not attend the summit and the chancellor is present on his behalf Sergei Lavrov. Unlike a G20 meeting in July where he walked out of the room, lavrov He endured this Tuesday stoically when he appeared Zelensky by videoconference.
“We still have to fight for a while”said Zelensky. “Victory will be ours,” she added.
In remarks after Zelensky’s speech, lavrov said that the claims of Ukraine to start negotiations “are manifestly unrealistic” and accused the West of waging a “hybrid war” against them.
Zelensky’s proposal
Zelensky He forcefully refused to make concessions to the Russian side and drew up a series of proposals that were in turn presented to the G20 leaders in a document in the room. Among the 10 points, “the restoration of territorial integrity” of Ukraine and the withdrawal of Russian troops.
Since the Kremlin launched its invasion on February 24 with the excuse of “denazifying and demilitarizing” Ukraine, Putin’s troops came to occupy almost the 20% of Ukrainian territory.
The return of the thousands of Ukrainians who have been transferred to Russia is another of the claims that appear in the proposal of Zelensky.
“Thousands of our citizens, civilian and military, are in captivity and are subjected to brutal torture”he claimed.
Another request that appears in the plan is the punishment for war crimes that occurred in towns such as Bucha.
“Every time we liberate our land we find one thing: Russia leaves behind torture chambers and mass graves full of murdered people.” Zelensky said.
Pressure for Russia
After the intervention of Zelenskyseveral countries participating in the summit joined the call to end the war in Ukraine.
The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan were some of the countries most forceful against Moscow in their interventions, accusing it of using food and energy as a weapon of war or of attacking global economic stability, and urging it to put an end to the conflict, reported the news agency EFE
These countries have promoted a joint declaration that is expected to be approved on Wednesdayand in which most of the G20 will strongly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and will denounce its devastating consequences on a human and economic level.
The letter declares that the use of nuclear weapons or the threat of resorting to them is “inadmissible.”
The calls for peace began since the inauguration of the summit by the Indonesian president Joko Widodo.
“We have to end the war. If the war does not end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward.” Widodo said. “You can’t fall into another cold war,” he warned.
Countries usually close to Moscow such as China or India joined the calls for peace, although without targeting Russia directly.
the chinese president Xi Jinping He expressed his firm opposition to the “weaponization of food and energy problems.” He also criticized Western sanctions against Russia.
For his part, Lavrov accused the West of “waging a hybrid war against Russia”blamed neocolonialism for the economic problems facing the world and accused kyiv of not being realistic in its conditions to resume peace talks.
Source: Elcomercio
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