Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the need for concerted European action against Russia's hybrid attacks, which escalate into greater threats. He called for the creation of a "Drone Wall" and the intensification of defense production, as Ukraine has significant experience in defending against drones and missiles.
Russia always starts with hybrid attacks, and then it becomes something bigger and bigger, so we need to act now – united and strong. This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his address to the participants of the European Council meeting, UNN reports.
Russia is trying to go further. They always start with hybrid attacks. And first it's something small, then it's something bigger. There's always a next step. So we need to act now – united and strong. I thank all the leaders who already understand the danger and are uniting forces. We need to strengthen our defense capabilities, and Ukraine can really help. No country in Europe has more experience than Ukraine in defending against drones and missiles. I believe that Europe needs to create a "Drone Wall" as soon as possible. Drones are becoming the main weapon for armies and for criminal or terrorist groups. This is a fact. And another fact should be our common readiness to protect our people and infrastructure. And the sooner we all implement the SAFE program, the better. It can really accelerate the implementation of the "Drone Wall" idea.
– said Zelenskyy.
He noted that everyone needs reliable protection – every country in Europe.
No country can protect itself alone. This is a big mistake, even if only a few still think, say, "we don't have a coastline" or "we are surrounded by others, so we don't need to act together." Today, there are no security issues in Europe that would not concern the rest of Europe. And this understanding should unite us. We all need protection, so we all need to work to ensure that the "Drone Wall," security guarantees for Ukraine, and other defense measures really work. And this gives us all a strong reason to intensify and expand defense production, to create joint production projects.
– added Zelenskyy.
According to him, Russia wants Europe to be divided, to argue, to look weak, and that is what Moscow is counting on.
But your support for Ukraine over these years proves otherwise – that Europe is much stronger than many expected. And the fact that we firmly resist Russian attacks during this war and justly retaliate when they attack our energy system proves that Russia is not as strong as it would like to appear. Therefore, we should not be afraid to build our own security models. Security guarantees for Ukraine, once we implement them, will become a security model for other European countries as well.
– Zelenskyy summarized.
Let us remind you that
Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and António Costa, President of the European Council, held a brief trilateral meeting before the summit.
