Volodymyr Zelensky recorded a traditional appeal to Ukrainians. He spoke about the situation in the country and at the front.
On the evening of January 27, the head of state addressed the Ukrainians. The Ukrainian political scientist reports what the president said.
Key points from the President’s address
About the situation at the front
The situation in the Donetsk region is very difficult, fierce battles continue near Bakhmut and Vugledar. The Russians are not just storming the positions of the Ukrainian defenders, but purposefully and mercilessly destroying cities and villages.
The situation at the front, and in particular in the Donbass near Bakhmut and Vugledar, remains very tense. The occupiers are not just storming our positions – they are purposefully and methodically destroying the cities and villages surrounding them. Artillery, aviation, missiles. The Russian army has no shortage of weapons. And the only way to stop them is by force, Zelensky said.
He noted that our fighters who defend the regions of Donbass are real heroes. And thanked each of them for their courage.
On the scandal at the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee called on sports federations to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympics with a neutral status.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the statements of the current head of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach disappointing. He stressed that he had spoken to him several times and did not understand what prompted him to promote such an “initiative”. The head of state stressed that “there is no such thing as neutrality when such a war is going on.”
Ukrainian athletes are forced to defend the lives of their loved ones and the freedom of our people from Russian aggression. Russian strikes have claimed the lives of hundreds of Ukrainian men and women who could have enriched world sport with their talent <…> I invite Mr. Bach to Bakhmut. For him to see with his own eyes that neutrality does not exist, the president said.
What else did Zelensky talk about?
The President spoke today with students, teachers and graduates of the College of Europe in Natolin and Bruges. This institute prepares specialists for work in European structures and with them. Ukraine has already begun to create such a college in our country. This will increase our potential in relations with the EU, in particular personnel potential.
The Belgian government will provide a support package for the defense of Ukraine. The new military assistance will strengthen our air defense and increase the mobility of the Ukrainian military on the battlefield.
January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the morning, at the Menor in Babi Yar, a ceremony was held in memory of all the victims of the Holocaust.
“Even at such a time, during a full-scale war, Ukraine, together with the entire civilized world, feels and shares the pain that still remains in the world from the crimes of Nazism,” Zelensky stressed.
We previously wrote that Zelensky called Erdogan: what the leaders discussed.