Ukraine: Zelenskyy says Kyiv will end war on ‘own terms’ – DW – 06/11/2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told German lawmakers that Russia must pay for the damage it has inflicted on his country.

“Those who started the war have to be held responsible,” he said. “They have to be brought to justice for every war crime committed.”

“The time for compromises is over,” he added.

“As soon as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin started to burn our cities … as soon as he started to pursue murder instead of agreements and contracts, the time for compromise ended.”

Zelenskyy made the comments in a speech to lawmakers in Germany’s lower house of parliament. It was the first time he had addressed the Bundestag in person.

Zelenskyy is in Berlin to attend a conference focused on shoring up support to rebuild Ukraine.

During his speech, he thanked Germany for its support and for providing Patriot missile systems, which he said “saved the lives of thousands of our citizens.”

Germany is the second-largest supporter of Ukraine behind the US and the biggest supporter in Europe.

“Putin will lose this war,” the Ukrainian president said. “We will not allow Russia to continue to march through Europe with its contempt for life.”

“We will not pass on this war to the next generation. We will end it. We will end it in the interest of Ukraine and the interest of Europe as a whole.”

Zelenskyy also referred to Germany’s history in his address, recalling the decades the country was divided by the Berlin Wall.

“You can understand us in Ukraine, you can understand why we are fighting so hard against Russia’s attempts to divide Ukraine, why we are doing everything we can to make sure there is not a new wall in our country,” he said.

“Russia is standing against all of us alone, so we all have to force Russia to change, and it is possible, because there is no wall that cannot be brought down.”