Global change is needed to prevent states from “terrorizing” each other, Ukraine’s president says
A destroyed house in Kharkov, Ukraine, July 30, 2022. © Wolfgang Schwan / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
The world needs a new global security model to avoid international conflicts such as the current one between Moscow and Kiev, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Wednesday.
Zelensky also mentioned the flare-up of tensions between Beijing and Taiwan, Serbia’s feud with Kosovo, and the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in the south Caucasus.
“All these situations seem different, although they are united by one factor, namely: the global security architecture did not work. If it worked, there wouldn’t be all these conflicts,” the president said in his daily video address.
Zelensky claimed that Russia “avoided immediate and tangible responsibility” in 2014, when Crimea voted in a referendum to leave Ukraine and reunite with Russia following a coup in Kiev, and a conflict broke out in Donbass.
“And now many in global relations believe that they will manage to do so as well,” Zelensky said.
“There must be an effective global security architecture that ensures that no state can ever again resort to terror against another state,” he stated.
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Speaking before the US Congress in March, Zelensky proposed setting up “a union of responsible countries,” tasked with stopping conflicts via methods ranging from sanctions to financial aid.
Zelensky’s remarks on Wednesday came after China launched snap military exercises around Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. China, which considers the self-governed island to be part of its territory, had issued stern warnings against the trip.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Zelensky said he wanted Beijing to pressure Russia over its military campaign in Ukraine, which was launched in late February. China, however, has refused to condemn Russia, or impose sanctions on Moscow.
