President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the NYT DealBook Summit via video call and talked with the participants of the event.
Answering the question of when, in his opinion, the war will end, the Head of State said: Ukrainians are realists and understand that they are at war with the Russian Federation, and on their territory the largest-scale hostilities are taking place since the Second World War. They are accompanied by war crimes: torture, rape, rocket attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure.
"It will end when we win or when the Russian Federation wants it. The Russian Federation may only want it when it feels that it is weak, isolated and has no partners," the President noted.
That is why, according to him, the support of Ukraine from partners and the entire free world is so important.
The Head of State expressed gratitude for the help to Ukraine, the support of our citizens who were forced to seek refuge in various countries of the world, fleeing from the war.
At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged not to repeat the narratives of Russia, which tries to calculate the cost of international aid provided to Ukraine or compare the war in our country with other conflicts.
The Head of State noted that the cost of this war is measured primarily in the lives of Ukrainian citizens who are fighting for freedom and democracy not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world.
"Because if Ukraine fails to hold out, this war will spread to other territories and, maybe, even to other continents," the President emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his belief that in the matter of business relations with the Russian Federation, there should be a common position of the world, in particular citizens, representatives of business, regarding restrictions on contacts and opportunities for cooperation, as only this can make Russians think about the policy of their state.
“It is society in Russia that chooses its politicians and leaders. President Putin is influenced by his society. And if they live comfortably, if the relations of other states with them continue, if the relations of other states with their business continue, they will not feel any discomfort. For them, this story on the territory of our state will remain a "special operation", as Putin calls it, and not a war that takes lives," said the Head of State.
The President also called on the participants of the summit to support Ukraine through the United24 fundraising platform, where fundraising campaigns are launched for urgent needs and projects that help our country to hold out against the Russian aggressor.