Iryna Balachuk — Saturday, 23 April 2022, 21:09
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his press conference on the night of 23 April that the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion has already changed the treatment of Ukraine by countries in Europe, and now the time has come for countries in Asia to do the same, as the Russian aggression against Ukraine will impact them too.
Source: Zelenskyy during press conference on 23 April
Quote: "We managed to change, with our unity and strength, the treatment of Ukraine by many European countries. I would very much like countries in Asia to change their treatment of Ukraine, too.
Do I sense that they have? No. Have they changed it? I think their people have, for sure. The people of these states know us well. And I feel that the leaders of these countries are getting there."
Details: Zelenskyy added that whereas earlier, countries in Asia were very close to the Soviet Union and, after its collapse, to Russia as its successor, now Ukraine is changing that.
The President thinks that leaders of these countries are now seeing that "no country should be allowed to violate the world order, to take someone else’s territory, to enforce its own rules in other countries and on other continents."
Zelenskyy underscored that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will impact other continents; particularly, it may lead to starvation.
He explained that before the war, Ukraine was producing some 110 million tons of grain, of which Ukraine itself needed only 20 million tons, and the rest was exported. Now, because of the war, those 90 million tons are what "those other countries will simply not receive." According to Zelenskyy, that will lead to rising prices and shortages.
"This can mean starvation. Here is what Russia has done. We are seeing now that it is not just a war in Europe, it is a war on other continents because of these steps of disrespect towards all life and towards international law," said he.
green_flash on April 23rd, 2022 at 21:30 UTC »
So, in 2021 the UN Human Rights Council voted to end the mandate of experts investigating war crimes in Yemen.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/7/un-ends-yemen-war-crimes-probe-in-defeat-for-western-states
Ukraine abstained from the vote. Sucks if you're the one suffering from indifference I guess.
Inflatabledartboard4 on April 23rd, 2022 at 20:52 UTC »
Full quote: "I would very much like countries in Asia to change their treatment of Ukraine, too. Do I sense that they have? No. Have they changed it? I think their people have, for sure. The people of these states know us well. And I feel that the leaders of these countries are getting there."
Zelenskyy added that whereas earlier, countries in Asia were very close to the Soviet Union and, after its collapse, to Russia as its successor, now Ukraine is changing that.
To me at least, this sounds a good deal more reasonable than the snippet in the headline. With the added context, it sounds much less like a demand and more like him just describing a trend he's seeing and hoping it continues.
quick20minadventure on April 23rd, 2022 at 19:25 UTC »
Look, Asian countries will be very friendly to Ukraine, but they won't join cold-war era sides. Don't expect military aids and military alliances. A lot of them are too poor and struggling with a lot of issues of their own.
India's still struggling to get out of Russian weapons dependence, Sri Lanka defaulted on all foreign debt and their economy is in crisis. Pakistan has never had a democratic PM complete a full term since independence, they got PM kicked out just now for upsetting military leadership. Afghnistan is taliban ruled and they are still getting bombed. Myanmar fell to military rule and they started doing genocides. China is taking over Russia's role in communism/dictatorship sphere.
Basically, a whole lot of bullshit prevents them from joining any global military alliance or upsetting any global power. Can't exactly send arms to Ukraine in such a position.