UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy has called for “maximum sanctions” against Russia, including a full oil embargo, a ban on all Russian banks from global systems and a complete end to trade with the country.
“I believe there’s still no such sanctions against Russia, and there should be there,” he said during an address to global political and business leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Referencing the theme of the forum,”History at a Turning Point”, Zelenskyy said the phrase ‘turning point’ is symbolic of what is happening in his country.
“This is really the moment when it is decided whether brute force will rule the world,” he said.
“If so, the force is not interested in our thoughts, and there is no need for further meetings in Davos as there would be no reason for that. Brute force does not discuses but kills at once and Russia does that in Ukraine just as we speak.”
Speaking on the need to “adopt new realities” amid the war, he said that countries need to act preventatively, adding that Ukraine had established a “historical precedent for courage”.
“We didn’t listen to those that said our defence would not last a couple of days. We have stopped the Russian army, which was called the second largest army in the world.
Hundreds of millions of citizens in democratic countries are putting pressure on government and companies to make sure they would limit or restrain their relations with the aggressor state, with Russia, and instead to help the people who are under attack.
Zelenskyy said while he is grateful for the support of the international community, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia would not have happened if more pressure had been applied following the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
He called on a full embargo on Russian oil, the abandonment of the Russia IT sector, all Russian banks to be blocked and all trade with the country to end.
“This should be a precedent for sanctions pressure that will work convincingly for the decades to come and would support peace,” he said.
He also pushed for the complete withdrawal of foreign companies from Russia to prevent supporting its war and said Ukraine needs funding — at least £4 billion per month.
“If we would have received 100% of our needs at once, back in February, the result would be tens of thousands of lives saved — this is why Ukraine needs all the weapons, that we ask, not just the ones that we’ve been provided,” Zelenskyy said.
The Group of Seven leading economies agreed on Friday to provide £15.75 billion in economic aid to Ukraine to help keep tight finances from hindering its ability to defend itself.
He also called for global Russian assets to be seized and allocated to a special fund to help those affected by the war.
“Of course this is not easy, but after that, there would be no motivation for every aggressor to do what Russia has done and what it continues to do,” he said.
Rebuilding Ukraine
Addressing business leaders, Zelenskyy called on them to leave the Russian market and continue operating in Ukraine to “truly support the protection of freedom”.
He asked those gathered at the forum to take part in the rebuilding of the country, adding that the “amount of work is enormous”.
“We have more than half a trillion dollars in losses, tens of thousands of facilities that were destroyed. We need to rebuild entire cities and industry,” he said.
Offering a “historically significant” model of rebuilding, he said that countries and companies would have the opportunity to take patronage over a particular region of Ukraine such as a city, a community or an industry.
“Britain, Denmark, the European Union and other leading international entities have already chosen a specific area for patronage and rebuilding and thanks to this model of relations, the post-war rebuilding could be fast, could be efficient and high quality,” he said.
This would not only allow to attract the best specialists, architects, engineers, builders, developers, managers, but it will also be the largest in Europe since World War Two. It will become the largest opportunity for an economic way forward.
Zelenskyy added that he hoped countries would come forward with offers for reconstruction at the Ukraine Reform Conference that’s being held in Lugano in Switzerland on 4-5 July.
His speech was a key focus at Davos, the village in the Swiss Alps that has been transformed into a glitzy venue for the four-day confab ostensibly dedicated to making the world a better place.
The event is resuming in person after a two-year hiatus because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which also delayed this year’s meeting from its usual winter slot because of uncertainty over the Omicron variant.
For the attendees, there is much to tackle amid soaring food and fuel prices, Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate change, inequality and persistent health crises.
But it is hard to predict if the high-minded discussions will yield substantial announcements that make headway on the world’s most pressing challenges.
“This war is really a turning point of history and it will reshape our political and our economic landscape in the coming years,” the event’s founder, Klaus Schwab, said.
The elite attendees have filled the conference venue to both schmooze and listen to panel discussions on topics like the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change and the global economic outlook.
Attendees are also visiting nearby pavilions on Davos’ main drag set up by companies like Intel, Accenture and Facebook owner Meta.
There is also a sizeable Ukrainian government delegation attending in person, making their case for more western support in the country’s fight against Russia.
Russian officials have not been invited to Davos this year, with what was dubbed the “Russia House” having been transformed by critics — including Ukrainian tycoon Victor Pinchuk and the country’s foreign ministry — into what they call the “Russia War Crimes House”.
The venue features photographs of crimes and cruelties that Russian forces are accused of perpetuating.
Some victims will speak out — including Anatoliy Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, a town near Kyiv where killings of civilians drew outrage.
With reporting from the Press Association
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say