[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that "a stable Europe without Ukraine is impossible."
According to the Ukrainian presidential office, President Zelensky said this during a late afternoon national address on the 29th (local time), reporting that he attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit via video conference.
President Zelensky stated, "NATO is changing its strategy in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its hostile anti-European policies. It is clear that guaranteeing Europe's security is fundamentally impossible without including Ukraine," adding, "Based on this obvious reality, we will do everything to derive concrete decisions," and "For the alliance between Ukraine and Europe, we need clear security guarantees."
He also requested NATO member countries to establish a security guarantee system that allows Ukraine to fully participate.
He shared news about citizens repatriated to Ukraine. President Zelensky said, "59 members of the National Guard, 30 from the Navy, 28 from the Army, 17 from the Border Guard, 9 from the Maritime Guard, and 1 police officer have returned to the homeland," adding, "The oldest is 65 years old and the youngest is 19."
He continued, "95 defenders of Azovstal have returned home," and added, "We thank everyone who worked for this, and we will do everything to bring all Ukrainian citizens back."
The Azovstal steel plant was the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces defending the port city of Mariupol, which was surrounded by Russian troops and fell after more than 80 days of resistance.
At the time of its fall, more than 1,000 personnel from the Azov Regiment, rooted in an anti-Russian far-right militia, and the Ukrainian Army's 36th Marine Brigade were captured as prisoners.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
