President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Speech at the Main Session of the Munich Security Conference

The fate of this war cannot be decided by just a few leaders—neither Trump and Putin, nor myself and Putin, nor anyone here in Munich one-on-one with Putin. We must apply pressure together to achieve real peace. Putin cannot offer genuine security guarantees—not only because he is a liar, but because Russia, in its current state, needs war to maintain power. And the world must be protected from this. So, first—European Armed Forces as an upgrade to NATO. Second—a unified European foreign policy. Third—a level of European cooperation that Washington must take seriously. Fourth—international law. And fifth—continued pressure on Russia, because it is this pressure that guarantees peace—not Putin’s words, not just some papers. Putin lies. He is predictable. And he is weak. We must take advantage of this—now, not later. And we must act as Europe—not as a scattered group of individuals. Let this year be the year of Europe—united, strong, secure, and peaceful. Peace for Ukraine. Peace for Europe. Peace for the world, for all your families.