President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking before the Swedish parliament on Thursday, warned that after an offensive in Ukraine, Russia expects to go further into Europe.
Zelensky said Russian propagandists are already discussing on state television how Russia will occupy, including the Swedish island of Gotland, and how it will keep it under its control for decades.
"They are showing this to the Russians on a map, showing offensive directions. You may ask, what is the purpose of this? They say it is to Russia's advantage to put air defense systems and a military base on Gotland to cover the takeover of the Baltic states. Russia went to war against Ukraine because it expects to go further into Europe, expects to destroy freedom further into Europe. This is a fundamental challenge to the European security system," President Zelensky said.
He said that he was grateful for the support Sweden had given to Ukraine in connection with the war, stressing that blue and yellow (the colors of the Ukrainian and Swedish flags) are now almost the most popular colors in the world.
The president also asked the free world for more sanctions and measures to stop Russia.
"We are at war not only for Ukraine, but for the security of Europe. And we have proven that we deserve to be a full member of the European Union," the president said, adding that he counts on Sweden's support for Ukraine's path to membership in the European Union.
