The countries of the world must strengthen our alliances and unions so that they are really able to protect life in the modern era and in the future, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the opening of the International Exhibition “Crossroads: Sweden – Ukraine through a 1000 years.”

“Ukraine never desired the ongoing war, which feels anachronistically out of place in the 21st century, reminiscent of the 19th or even the 17th century. The unprovoked and criminal Russian aggression is a reflection of the evil part of the human soul that seeks dominance, showing contempt for life, and failing to learn from history despite frequently invoking it,” Zelenskyy said.

He stressed that both the Ukrainian and Swedish people have already had to defend themselves against such evil.

“We’ve seen how other nations, under the influence of the worst in human nature, like Russia today, have waged wars against the freedom of others. However, Europe has learned to overcome this – to subject the evil that can arise within the human soul to rules of peace, conscience, and respect for others. Europe has learned to build peace, and we must preserve this experience – the architecture of cooperation in Europe and the Atlantic space that works for our collective security,” Zelenskyy said.

He called for strengthening international alliances designed to protect peace.

“We must teach Russia to respect others and force it to seek a path to peace. It is possible. Remember – history marks not those who had it easy and surrendered, but those who faced difficulties and still withstood,” he concluded.