Vladimir Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, has accused the West of leaving his country alone after Russia launched a special military operation in the Donbass region on Thursday.
Addressing the Ukrainians in the early hours of Friday, Zelensky said that his country had to defend itself on its own "no matter how many conversations" he has had with the leaders of other countries till now.
"I heard a few things. The first is that we are supported. And I am grateful to each state that helps Ukraine specifically. Not just words," said Zelensky in his address after the end of the first day of Russia's operation.
"But there is another – we are left alone in defence of our state. Who is ready to fight with us? I do not see such. Who is ready to guarantee Ukraine's accession to NATO? Everyone is afraid," he added.
Visibly shaken by the developments, Zelensky said that Ukraine is "not afraid" to talk about neutral status but needs third party guarantees.
"Today we heard from Moscow that they still want to talk. They want to talk about Ukraine's neutral status. I tell all the partners of our state: now the fate of our country is being decided. I ask them: are you with us? They answer that with us. But they are not ready to take us to the Alliance," said the Ukrainian President.
"I asked the twenty-seven leaders of Europe whether Ukraine should be in NATO… Asked directly… They are all afraid. And we are not afraid. We are not afraid to talk to Russia. We are not afraid to talk about security guarantees for our state. We are not afraid to talk about neutral status. But what security guarantees will we have, which countries will give them?," he questioned.
Quoting preliminary data, the Ukrainian President said that 137 citizens – military and civilian – have lost their lives, including all the border guards on Snake Island, who will be posthumously awarded the title of 'Hero of Ukraine'.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had on Thursday announced a special military operation in eastern Ukraine's Donbass, saying that the Kremlin had received requests from the breakaway region for help in repelling threats from Kiev.
Moscow has over the past few weeks accused the NATO countries of pumping Ukraine with modern weapons and ammunition thus pushing Kiev towards a military solution to the Donbass problem.
Saying that it was "seriously concerned" about the growth of military-political tension in the immediate vicinity of its western borders, Russia alleged that Kiev was only imitating the negotiation process, stubbornly refusing to implement the Minsk agreements and agreements reached in the Normandy format.
Earlier this week, Putin had told French President Emmanuel Macron the need for the United States and NATO to take Russian demands for security guarantees "seriously" and respond to them concretely and "to the point".
