President Zelensky is attending the European Political Community Summit (Image: Getty)
The West must show “bravery” and destroy Russian planes, drones and missiles, President Zelensky has declared.
The Ukrainian leader also called for restrictions on long-range weapons to be lifted to “reduce Russia’s capability to continue this war”.
And he warned European leaders that Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin will attempt to “blackmail” them in a bid to weaken “unity”.
President Zelensky urged them to channel the “bravery” of Britain’s war-time Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and “his ability to be a steadfast barrier between history and cowardice”.
President Zelensky joined European leaders at Blenheim Palace (Image: Getty)
Zelensky wants to be able to strike targets deep inside Russia (Image: Getty)
He said during the opening plenary at the European Political Community: “We must act as brave as necessary to achieve results.
“We can steer this war towards its just ending with the power of our weapons and our diplomacy, and we should not fear these capabilities.
“The more effective our air defence is, the more helpless Putin will be.
“The fewer restrictions we have on the use of effective weapons, the more Russia will seek peace.
“Military airfields from which Russian jets take off with bombs against our cities, our people, our children and the launch sites of Russian missiles – all these must be destroyed.
“This will not only eliminate some targets but will also reduce Russia’s capability to continue this war.
“The missiles and drones are not “bearers of state sovereignty”, so there must be a collective will, collective will to shoot them down – just as it was with Iranian missiles and drones.
“I appeal to all of you, to all leaders who can contribute to the required bravery. These steps must be taken.
“And I address primarily the United States, the UK, France, Germany, and Poland and other friends – your bravery can be decisive for peace.”
President Zelensky was a key guest at the meeting, aimed at shoring up Europe's support for his country's defence and discussing ways to defend democracy.
Britain has also accused Moscow of seeking to undermine European democracies with cyberattacks, disinformation and sabotage.
The Ukrainian president told European leaders: “Putin cannot sustain relationships with truly strong leaders, and this is our advantage, but it remains an advantage only as long as we are united.
“He may try to approach you or go to some of your partners individually, trying to tempt or pressure you, to blackmail you, so that one of you betrays the rest – weakening our unity.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the first task of the European Political Community is to "confirm our steadfast support for Ukraine" as he opened the summit.
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"Every day Ukraine fights affects not just the Ukrainian people, but the European people. A continent where our belief in freedom, democracy and the rule of law was hard won and that wants to live in peace."
He said he was struck by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's comments at Nato that Ukraine needs more air defence before children go back to school.
"And that really struck me because returning to school after the summer break, that should be a moment of joy, of excitement for children - new uniforms, new exercise books, seeing how much their friends have grown over the summer holidays and reuniting with friends.
"How could anyone consider that a target? So our first task here today is to confirm our steadfast support for Ukraine, to unite once again behind those values that we cherish and to say we will face down aggression on this continent together."
Ukraine has launched a major overnight aerial and naval drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s forces in occupied Crimea, according to officials.
It comes as Germany revealed it would slash its military aid to Ukraine from ￡6.72bn to ￡3.36bn next year, according to its draft budget.
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The country’s finance minister assured that the bulk of the money and military aid Kyiv needs has been secured “for the foreseeable future thanks to European instruments and the G7 loans.”
The blow to Kyiv comes as Donald Trump named as his vice presidential pick Senator JD Vance, who opposes military aid for Ukraine and warned Europe will have to rely less on the US to defend the continent.
Ukraine’s defence minister has said the war-hit nation will find a way to battle Russia’s invading forces even if Mr Trump wins a second term and imperils vital US support.
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