Berlin (dpa) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked Germany for its support in defending against Russian invaders and pressed for ongoing assistance. “It’s in both our interests for Putin himself to lose,” he said in a speech to the Bundestag. He added that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin stood “alone against us all. And that’s precisely why we must all work together to compel Russia to change. That is possible because there is no wall which cannot fall.”
The Ukrainian President was greeted in the Bundestag with a long round of applause. The main reason for Zelenskiy’s visit is the international Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, attended by 2000 delegates from 60 countries, which he and Scholz opened together. Both leaders called for efforts to further strengthen Ukraine’s air defences against Russian attacks. Scholz raised the prospect of wide-ranging long-term state commitments to reconstruction.
The Recovery Conference is not aimed at raising funds for reconstruction, but is instead designed to network key actors from politics, business, civil society and international organisations. It aims to stimulate initiatives such as to promote business funding and train skilled workers.
