President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Parliament of Japan. He thanked Tokyo for the support that it had provided to our state since the first day of the full-scale war.
In his speech, the President emphasized the nuclear danger created by Russia, and the development of the new security system in the world.
“Each of you knows what Chornobyl is. Nuclear power plant in Ukraine, where a powerful explosion occurred in 1986. Radiation release. The consequences of which have been recorded in different parts of the planet. The 30-kilometer zone around the Chornobyl station is still closed. It is hazardous. During the elimination of the consequences of the explosion at the station, thousands of tons of contaminated materials, debris and cars were disposed of in the forests in the closed area. Just in the ground. On February 24, Russian armored vehicles passed through this land. Lifting radioactive dust into the air. The Chornobyl station was captured. By force, by weapon”, he pointed out.
Russia has turned Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant into an arena of war. And Russia is using this 30-kilometer territory, this closed zone, to prepare new attacks against Ukrainian defeders.
It will take years after Russian troops leave Ukraine to investigate the damage they have done to Chornobyl. What sites of radioactive materials disposal were damaged.
“There are four operating nuclear power plants on our land! These are 15 nuclear units. And they are all under threat. Russian troops have already fired from tanks at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. The fighting has damaged hundreds of plants, many of them particularly dangerous. The shelling threatens gas and oil pipelines. Coal mines,” the President continued.
The other day, Russian troops also fired at a chemical plant in the Sumy region of Ukraine. There was a leak of ammonia. Furthermore, Ukraine is warned about possible chemical attacks, in particular with the use of sarin. As it was in Syria.
President of Ukraine pointed out that the issue of how to react if Russia would also use nuclear weapon had become a major topic for discussion among the world politicians. Any confidence of any person in the world, any country is completely destroyed.
Zelenskyy declared that it was Ukraine, the partner states and our anti-war coalition that could guarantee that world security would not be completely destroyed.
“You see that international institutions have not worked. Even the UN and the Security Council... What can they do? They need reform. They need an injection of honesty. To become effective. To really decide and really influence, not just discuss. The world is destabilized because of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The world is on the verge of many new crises. And who is now sure what tomorrow will be like?,” asked the President.
Zelenskyy mentioned that it was Japan that became the first country in Asia that started putting strong pressure on Russia to restore peace.
“It is necessary to impose an embargo on trade with Russia. It is necessary to withdraw companies from the Russian market so that the money does not go to the Russian army. It is necessary to help our state, our defenders, our soldiers who are holding back Russian troops even more. It is necessary to start thinking about rebuilding Ukraine already now. About the return of life to the cities destroyed by Russia and the territories devastated by it. We need to develop new security guarantees. So that it is possible to act preventively and strongly every time there is a threat to peace,” – the head of the Ukrainian state pointed out.
He is certain that it is impossible to do this on the basis of existing international structures. It is necessary to create new tools for that, and Japan’s leadership can be indispensable in their development.
“We have similar values with you despite the huge distance between our countries. A distance that doesn’t really exist. Because we have equally warm hearts. Thanks to joint efforts, thanks to even greater pressure on Russia, we will come to peace. And we will be able to rebuild our country. Reform international institutions. I am sure that Japan will be with us then - just as it is now. In our anti-war coalition. At this crucial time for all of us,” President Zelenskyy said.