President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of Ukraine's daily fight for democracy during the online Summit for Democracy on March 29, Voice of America (VOA) reported.
"The enemies of democracy must lose, and our national goal is to win," Zelensky said, as quoted by VOA. "Democracy needs a victory this year," he added.
Zelensky went on to compare Ukraine's fight against Russia to firefighters battling a blaze, underscoring the urgency to escalate efforts before the situation spirals out of control.
The Summit for Democracy was attended by 120 world leaders, and nearly all of them mentioned the war in Ukraine, according to VOA.
Slovakia's President Zuzana Čaputová called Russian aggression a "threat to global peace and democracy" and said that providing Ukraine with aid was "an investment in peace and democracy."
Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera said that expressing solidarity with Ukraine was "not enough" and that the countries gathered at the summit had "to give Ukraine everything it needs to protect its freedom."