Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has used 28,743 Iranian "Shahed" drones against Ukraine, and in June alone, Russian forces used 2,736 drones of this type. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an address to the Dutch Parliament, which he later published on his Telegram channel, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.
„Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has used 28,743 "Shahed" drones. In June alone, they launched 2,736. Russia would never have been able to do this if it weren’t for its ties with the Iranian regime. And we in Ukraine would never have been able to shoot down most of these drones without the support of our partners,” Zelensky wrote on “Telegram“.
According to him, in order to end the war and achieve lasting peace, it is necessary to act in two main directions: isolating Russia and ensuring stable defense support for Ukraine.
“First – maximum isolation of Russia. This means political isolation, sanctions of any kind, and the cessation of any cooperation that helps them survive and continue to fight. Any scheme that allows them to continue must be blocked. We need a strong 18th package of sanctions of the European Union. We need strict, painful sanctions on Russian oil. Any reduction in Russia's oil revenues helps bring peace closer. But what will really hurt them and limit their ability to wage war is a ceiling of $30 per barrel. The world must reach this level,“ Zelensky urged.
He stressed that this is necessary not only to stop the current war, but also to prevent future aggression by Russia against Europe and NATO.
“Military plans must become prohibitively expensive for Russia. We must really block their tanker fleet and cut them off from international banking. This is what works,“ he added.
The second step, according to Zelensky, should be stability in defense support for Ukraine.
“Russia must see that Ukraine will not be left alone and that Europe will not back down. And it is extremely important to support the need to increase defense spending in other European countries. "Russia is stronger than each of us individually, but weaker than all of us together," the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky stressed that if Russia understands that the united power of Europe leaves it no chance for aggression, there will be none.
"If Russia feels that we are responding harshly and painfully, then peace will become the most popular topic in Moscow. And we will achieve this together," he concluded.