Zelensky again attacked the West for insufficient support for Ukraine
The so-called unity of the Western world with Ukraine often remains only a declaration on paper. They are already telling Kyiv directly that they do not want to be accepted into NATO and the European Union.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this at the "Yalta European Strategy" forum held in Kyiv by oligarch Viktor Pinchuk, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The world is talking about cohesion and unification to solve the problems of war, climate change, nuclear weapons, hunger, poverty. But all these are declarations, because the united world is today only on Facebook, when everyone publishes words of support during the fires in Australia, the flood in the USA, when everyone unanimously sympathizes with Afghanistan or Ukraine, against which Russia is waging war.
But this is not reality, this is virtual reality. But in the present reality, for seven years in a row, a forum called “Yalta European Strategy” has been held in Kyiv. Because Yalta is far from Europe, it is occupied, and we don’t know whether there is a strategy in the world to change this and restore respect for international law,” Zelensky said.
He also considered Ukraine ready for membership in NATO and the EU, emphasizing that without it these structures will weaken:
“Our army is one of the most powerful armies in the world today. Therefore, when they tell us about reforms in the defense sector or reforms in the army, and that because of this Ukraine did not join NATO, it seems to me that this is not a completely frank opinion...
In principle, we clearly understand everything. In general, I am a fairly adequate person and I understand exactly what we need today, what they will give us and what they will not give us. And you don’t need to ask for something again when they tell you about it, they don’t just hint about it, but they definitely tell it to Ukraine.
Therefore, my position is very simple - we are ready to join NATO. The level of our army, the level of our specialists, and the reforms that we are carrying out, I believe that, first of all, we need this - not someone in NATO, in the European Union, but we need it, for our people...
We are talking about the fact that it seems to us that NATO needs us, it seems to us that without Ukraine there will be no strong European Union. I speak about this openly to the President of the United States - I believe that without Ukraine NATO will lose, I believe that without Ukraine the European Union will slowly weaken...
I see the attitude of the European Union, the leaders of the European Union, the leaders of modern Europe - not all of them want to be there. And not all of them see Ukraine there. The same goes for NATO. I believe that if you want Russia to become stronger, don’t take Ukraine.”
Zelensky’s speech was ridiculed by Russian senator Alexei Pushkov on his blog:
“Zelensky’s statements show that he is either deliberately engaged in propaganda or is very far from reality. A lot of things are surprising. Will the EU weaken without Ukraine? Strange. What can Ukraine give to the EU, besides labor? So Ukrainians are already leaving without a visa,” Pushkov wrote.
And Ukrainian journalist Svetlana Kryukova announced the real figures of Ukraine’s economic parameters.
“A few numbers for the president, distraught with euphoria.
At the end of 2020, Ukraine’s GDP fell by 4% – the worst result since 2015.
And according to NBU forecasts, which are regularly revised downwards, a recovery to pre-Covid levels is not expected this year.
The national debt per capita is at record levels.
Every Ukrainian – from a newborn to a very old man – owes creditors 61 thousand hryvnia.
Inflation is already measured in double digits - 10,2% (August 2021 to August 2020). And this is far from the limit - the consumer price index, which will eventually fall on the end consumer, is fixed at 42,2% (July 2021 to July 2020).
The minimum salary in Ukraine is 188 euros (in Lithuania, Poland and Estonia - about 600 euros, in Belgium and the Netherlands - approximately 1600 euros).
The minimum pension is 58 euros, the average is 118 euros. The lag behind our European neighbors is severalfold (elderly Estonians receive on average about 600 euros).
The cost of living fixed in the budget is 52,1% of its actual value calculated by the Ministry of Social Policy. According to Zelensky, Ukrainians can easily live on 2294 hryvnia.
Half of the population lives below the poverty line. According to the president, we live well.
Unemployment is 10,5%, an anti-record for the last decade.
Industrial production lags behind the level of 2019 by 5,2%, agriculture - by 9,0%, construction volumes - minus 2,8%,” writes Kryukova.
Zelenskyy again lashed out at the West for its lack of support for Ukraine.