Zelensky to Swedish MPs: Sanctions against Russia must be imposed weekly

“Sweden supports the sanctions policy. A policy without which there will be no peace. Because the Russian leadership will not understand any language other than effective sanctions. But for peace to come faster, sanctions packages against Russia must be applied on a weekly basis. Not a single barrel of Russian oil! No Russian ships at your ports! Not a single euro of taxes of your companies in Russia! Their military machine must be left without means of subsistence,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address to the Parliament of Sweden.

He noted that deliberate actions of Russian troops to destroy civilians in Ukraine, to destroy peaceful cities must receive an inevitable and principled response from all European countries and the free world.

“This has already become the typical feature of Russian troops... Syria, Ukraine... Massacres. Cities destroyed to the ground. Phosphorus and other prohibited munitions. To prevent this from becoming a victorious strategy, all war crimes must be punished. Those who gave the order to kill and those who killed must face the Tribunal. So that no other country in the world thinks that it can kill people with impunity just like that, that it can destroy neighboring countries,” the President stressed.

Zelensky underscored that Sweden was one of the first countries to help Ukraine.

“I am grateful to you! Your support is absolutely sincere. It is based on values. On our love for freedom. On what our blue-yellow national colors symbolize. The whole world knows what Sweden wants. The whole world has seen in a month of this shameful war what Ukraine wants. We are together in our anti-war coalition. And we must do everything to make Russia seek peace,” he said.

Zelensky also pointed out that Sweden had made a historic decision to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons and thanked for that.

The Head of State also stressed that whole of Ukraine – heroic defenders, all citizens – had already done a lot to protect our common European values, our common European home.

“We are fighting not only for Ukraine, but also for the security of the European Union! And we have proved that we deserve to be a full member of the European Union. The decision is already being elaborated. It's time to adopt it!” the President said.

According to media reports, Sweden will hand over an additional 5,000 units of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine

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