Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned citizens on Tuesday night that the country would “stand to the last man” in the event of a war with Russia, as tensions continue to build along the border between the two nations.
“Does Ukraine want war? No. Is it ready? Yes,” Zelensky said in a speech on Tuesday. The New York Times“Our principle is simple: Ukraine does not start a war first, but Ukraine always faces the last man.”
Zelensky’s statements come on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual State of the Union speech Wednesday. During his speech, Zelensky addressed Putin directly, urging him to gather for a peace summit in Donbas, a war-torn region where the Ukrainian military fights for years against Russian-backed separatists.
“It is impossible to bring peace on a tank,” said Zelensky in Russian, before adding, “I am ready to invite you to meet anywhere in Donbas in Ukraine where there is war.”
So far, the US and NATO have taken “provocative actions” with at least two warships in the Black Sea, The hill reported, due to mounting tensions between the two nations.
In recent days, Russia has amassed the largest concentration of troops in the region in years, raising concerns that the country may intend to invade. Tensions between the two nations have reached their highest levels since 2014 since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and widespread fighting broke out in the east of the country. That conflict has already claimed nearly 14,000 lives.
There are now at least 40,000 Russian troops in Crimea, with another 40,000 in regions along the border, representing about 10 percent of the country’s total military force, NBC News reported last week.
On April 15, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that if Russia crosses the ‘red line’, it will ‘suffer’.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken added last week that Russia’s presence in the area has raised serious concern in both Ukraine and the West.
“We are now seeing the largest concentration of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders since 2014,” Blinken said on April 13. “This is a major concern not only for Ukraine, but also for the United States and indeed many of our allies and partners.”
Later that day, President Joe Biden called on Russia to “ease tensions” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also “stressed the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reports said.
The Biden government also took steps last week to impose sanctions on Moscow for the SolarWinds hack of US government agencies and interference in the 2020 election.
Russia has so far denied plans to start a military conflict with Ukraine, instead accusing the Western media of falsely raising tensions.
“The Ukrainian and Western media is blowing out of proportion the issue of Russian military activity near the border with Ukraine,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week. The hill.
In his State of the Union address on Wednesday, Putin accused Western countries of “forcibly imposing their will on others.”
“I hope no one will think of crossing the ‘red line’ with regard to Russia, which we will define ourselves in each specific case,” said the Russian president, adding, “The Russian response will be swift, asymmetrical and strict. to be. “
Newsweek contacted the White House for additional comments, but was not heard in time for publication.