It's time for allies to give Ukraine all arms needed to defeat Russia, Zelensky says
The time has come for Kyiv's partners to provide all the weapons necessary to push Russia out of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on June 11.
"If you're asking me whether the time has come for the partners to give us all the arms needed to throw Russia out, then yes, the time has come," Zelensky said in a response to a journalist's question.
The world's government and business leaders, as well as representatives of international organizations and civil society, have gathered in the German capital for a two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference.
Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after bilateral talks, Zelensky thanked Berlin for all the support it has provided to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
Germany is the second-largest military donor to Ukraine after the U.S. and has launched an allied initiative to supply Kyiv with the much-needed anti-aircraft systems.
Responding to a journalist's question, Scholz said that Berlin currently has no plans to back the proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to send military instructors to Ukraine.
Scholz added that Germany continues to train Ukrainian soldiers on German territory, and "nothing changes there."
Zelensky also touched upon the subject of Kyiv's prospective membership in the EU, saying that the country fulfilled all the necessary steps to start accession talks.
Ukraine received EU membership candidate status in June 2022. In November 2023, the European Commission recommended accession talks with Kyiv, and the European Council supported the launch of the negotiations a month later.
The European Commission said last week that Ukraine is ready to begin the process. At the conference, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the negotiations should begin by the end of June.
A unanimous agreement by all members is required for this step, and Hungary is reportedly obstructing consensus. EU and Ukrainian officials are reportedly pushing to start the talks by the end of the month before Hungary takes up the rotating presidency of the EU Council in July.
Kateryna Denisova
