Ukraine needs supplies of heavy weapons, intl tribunal over aggressor – Zelensky in his speech to Lithuanian parliament

KYIV. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky spoke via video link to the Lithuanian Parliament on Friday on the occasion of Freedom Day – the 32nd anniversary of the storming of the Vilnius TV Tower by Soviet troops after the proclamation of Lithuania’s secession from the USSR.

Addressing the Lithuanian parliamentarians, the President of Ukraine noted that 32 years ago the Lithuanians did not just defend the building of the television center, parliament and other facilities.

"You defended your historical choice then. And now we are also going to win. To the final victory over the empire. Russia will no longer be able to impose anything to the peoples of Europe when we end this war with an unequivocal defeat of the aggressor," Zelensky said.

According to him, now Russia has fewer and fewer forces and desires that were at the beginning of the war, but "this is not enough."

"We must make it so that the aggressor will never even have the opportunity to dream of something like this and encroach on our freedom … The aggressor must be defeated precisely on the Ukrainian land where he came, so that later he would not have to fight on the lands of other peoples of Europe. What is more, that Russia would not get a respite, nor manage to adapt and regain strength. This year is crucial," he said, adding that now in order to finally end terror, even greater mobilization in the world is needed.

"We need urgent solutions to expel the Russian army from our land. This applies, first of all, to modern tanks and effective artillery. We need new sanctions solutions that will maintain constant and irresistible pressure on the aggressor-state and on all economic entities that ensure the continuation of aggression. And we need an international tribunal that will make it possible to bring to justice those whose evil mind gave rise to this crime, this war," Zelensky said.

He stressed that when revanchists from modern Moscow face a fair trial, it will be a historic punishment for those revanchists who tried to break Lithuania and its freedom a generation ago.

The Head of State also expressed hope that the NATO summit, which will be held in Vilnius in July, will be fateful for the entire Euro-Atlantic community. "We will do everything to make the summit that way. And we will do it together," the president said.

Zelensky also thanked the Lithuanian side for its support.

Freedom Day is celebrated in Lithuania on January 13. Thirty-two years ago, Soviet troops stormed the Vilnius TV Tower, killing 13 people.