Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said if world leaders "punished" Russia for annexing Crimea then Russia's war could have been avoided.
"If the world had punished Russia for what it did in 2014, there would be none of the horrors of this invasion of Ukraine in 2022," Zelenskyy said.
The 2014 annexation led to international condemnation and economic sanctions against Russia by the West.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that the "horrors" of Russia's current invasion of Ukraine could have been prevented had the rest of the world "punished" Russia for its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine eight years ago.
"It is often said that unpunished evil returns," Zelenskyy said in a virtual address to Australia's parliament.
"If the world had punished Russia for what it did in 2014, there would be none of the horrors of this invasion of Ukraine in 2022," Zelenskyy added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 with the help of Moscow-backed separatists. »
