Zelensky links Russian invasion to Iraq and Afghanistan wars in … – Washington Examiner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Arab leaders to back Kyiv while tying Russias invasion to a history of long-term wars that include Western military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Look at how much suffering the long-term wars have brought to Libya, Syria, Yemen how many lives have been wasted by years of fighting in Sudan and Somalia, in Iraq and Afghanistan, Zelensky told the Arab League during a surprise appearance at its summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. [E]very aggressor goes against the world and will be cursed by the people.

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Zelensky emphasized Ukraines need for assistance in rescuing Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia. And he linked that request to a broader argument that combined moral and practical reasons for the Arab world to cooperate directly with Ukraine.

Russia is weak. We beat it even when it has more weapons in its hands, Zelensky said. Its aggressiveness does not come from strength, but from the understanding that the time of empires has passed. Thats because the time of free independent nations will never end, and Ukraine proves it.

Zelenskys appearance upstaged Russian President Vladimir Putin, who pledged his attachment of great importance to the development of friendly relations and constructive partner interaction with countries in the Middle East and North Africa in an open letter to the forum.

We intend to continue to actively support collective efforts for a peaceful settlement of serious regional problems, including the crises in Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Syria, based on unconditional respect for state sovereignty and the principles of international law, Putin said, per the Kremlin text. We believe that the further development of multifaceted cooperation between Russia and the Arab countries fully meets our common interests and is in keeping with the goal of building a fairer and more democratic system of international relations based on the principles of multipolarity, genuine equality, and respect for each others interests.

Zelensky offered a bracing challenge to Putins posture, as he called for Arab leaders to sympathize with the hundreds of thousands of our children [who] are deported to Russia, separated from their relatives, and there in Russia theyre trying to teach our children to hate their natives and requested diplomatic aid in securing their return.

Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here, among you, who turn a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations, he said. "I am here so that everyone can take an honest look. No matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must still be independence.

Putin and other Russian officials often attempt to cast U.S. support for Ukraine as an example of pressure on Russia analogous to the invasion of Iraq or the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Putin made a more frank imperialist argument in the final days prior to the launch of the campaign to overthrow the Ukrainian government when he condemned the disease of nationalism that, in his view, laid the foundations of the modern Ukrainian state a century ago.

Why was it necessary to appease the nationalists, to satisfy the ceaselessly growing nationalist ambitions on the outskirts of the former empire? Putin complained in a February 21, 2022, address.

Zelensky, for his part, condemned the rabies of aggression on display in Putins invasion. I am more than sure that none of you will agree to surrender a third of your country to the invaders, he told the Arab League. I am more than sure none of you would watch without a fight how foreigners steal the children of your people . . . I'm more than sure that none of you would admit the military occupation of a nuclear plant to use it to blackmail the world with nuke disaster.

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The Ukrainian leader offered a flexible approach to aligning with Kyivs peace formula, proposing that they choose the point to help that you consider appropriate even if they cant embrace the entire formula.

And I will be grateful to each of you who will choose exactly the direction of rescuing people held in Russian captivity, he said.

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Zelensky links Russian invasion to Iraq and Afghanistan wars in ... - Washington Examiner

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