It is very important that during negotiations with Russia at the table be the strongest defenders of freedom: America, Europe and Ukraine - the speech of Vladimir Zelensky at a meeting of G7 leaders
On February 24, 2022, on the day that Russia began an unprovoked and absolutely unjust war against us, against our people, our families, against Ukraine, our independence and even our people could be destroyed. But the courage of Ukrainians is greater than Putin's greediness. World unity is stronger than the Union of Russia, Iran, North Korea and other enemies of life. The belief of people in good is stronger than fear of evil. That is why Ukraine is still holding on.
For Russia, this war is pure madness, meaningless destruction of life. And even today, when 13 EU leaders and representatives are here in Kiev, in our capital, Russia continues to bombing us. But for Ukraine, for Europe, for the free world, this war has a deep meaning - it is the struggle for independence, which has been through which many peoples have passed. Who is fighting - he survives. Who seems - disappears from history. And we, Ukrainians, exist - we will always exist.
And I am grateful to your peoples for supporting us, Ukraine, support our people. The American people helped us, the British, the French, the Germans, the Italians, the Japanese, Canadians. Thank you, thank you sincerely. I also want to note the EU strength - Putin never believed in her, but the EU will survive him and his madness. We will do our best to help Europe become stronger.
And today a new package of EU sanctions has been introduced - thank you very much - this is a true proof of Europe's strength. Dear leaders! Today we were joined by the 47th President of the United States Donald Trump. We all know his strength and hope, Mr. President that it will help us establish peace through power - peace based on security guarantees from America, from Europe and anyone who is able to protect. Guarantees of military, economic and political security.
From the very beginning of this war, we wanted peace, and now we are more than ever, we believe that real and long peace is possible if we are holding together, of course. And it is very important that we work together so that during the talks with Russia at the table there are the strongest defenders of freedom: America, Europe and Ukraine.
It is here that a real peace agreement can take place, which will not only stop the killings now, but also prevent the deaths of thousands of our people in Russian captivity, in the occupied territories and from future attacks. Further. Most of you were present at the NATO summit in the US. It was an important step in our relationship. We said that Russia, like a hungry shark, continues to attack Ukraine just because we stay out of NATO.
If we had this protective shield - the NATO border, - Putin would never dare to move his evil across the border of our country. And after three years of a full -scale war you all see how much the power of Ukraine can bring the Alliance. And this power is instant, power is right now, not decades. At the NATO summit, we were promised air defense systems to protect our people from Russian rockets and bombs as compensation for the lack of an invitation to NATO for Ukraine.
And it was an important promise. But we still have not received them all. This is just one example. And if Ukraine remains out of NATO, it will become a much more expensive and more complicated path for all, because NATO provides the simplest and most economically effective security guarantees. In this case, Ukraine will need more air defense systems, more financial support and strong military presence to restrain Russia.
Therefore, we must choose the right path - the fastest and most economically profitable. And it should be our path, not the one that Putin is. Security guarantees are needed to prevail. Further. The world is changing rapidly - in the military sphere, in diplomacy, in economy, in everything. And, of course, we must keep up with him. And we need to meet as soon as possible to determine the conditions of peace and security guarantees.
Our teams are already productively working with the US on the economic agreement, which we hope to sign in Washington. And, President Trump, we would very much like to hear you, because all our people, all our families are very concerned: will there be support from America? Will America be the leader of the free world? And I want to be very honest, very honest with you. For our people, it is extremely important for life for American support, American help is left.
And indeed, I believe that we can be as effective in providing real peace guarantees. But for this we need at least everyone who suffered from this war is all of Europe, America and, of course, Ukraine. Putin is in the weakest position when we are united and in the strongest position. It is this look that the negotiation table should have, and I hope that we will achieve this as soon as possible - not because of mistakes, but because of goodwill. And finally. We need to upgrade our armies.
The army of the twentieth century is not enough. Today, Ukrainians, our partners have gained the latest experience of war. And we need to use it to protect freedom. And we can do it, do it together. And let's create a coordination mechanism to work. When I was talking about Europe's armed forces, I meant that we could use what we learn and what we have already learned, and share it with our partners, with all our allies. Unity and cooperation are beneficial to all of us. Thank you very much.