Ukraine on Sunday called on United Nations member states to strip Russia of its veto power in the organization’s Security Council and expel it from the world body, the Kiev Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
In an interview with the German news agency dpa, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnik said shortly before the ministry statement that Ukraine urgently needs Western tanks, fighters, warships, missile launchers, and ammunition.
The former ambassador to Berlin said that this was his only wish for Christmas, and that if it was not granted, the war would drag on, bringing more suffering, death and destruction to Ukraine.
Melnik stressed that Kiev is very grateful for the “new, courageous steps” taken by the United States, but said it was clear that “many more taboos still need to be broken.”
During a visit to Washington last week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $1.85 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot long-range air defense missile systems.
In the interview, Andriy Melnik also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen as preparing the Russian army and the Russian people for a very long war and is already mobilizing all available resources. He added that Ukrainians are ready to fight to the last breath to liberate their homeland, including Crimea.
“This is quite certain, and it is independent of what our allies do,” he noted.
Melnik dismissed the possibility of opening talks with Russia, saying Moscow is “merely bluffing” when it is open to dialogue. He categorically rejected the idea that Ukraine might give up some of its territories.
“This is unacceptable for Kiev. It will never happen,” he said.
