The existing air defense systems are not enough to protect the entire territory of Ukraine from Russian terror, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in an address to the European Council on Thursday.

"And it's not a matter of hundreds of systems, but of an achievable number – to protect all the territory of Ukraine. You all know what steps need to be taken. I urge you to help to protect our cities – Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Odesa, Kherson and others," he said.

"We need to make Putin lose the battle for the Ukrainian sky, and if he does – he will lose the land as well," the head of state said.

Zelenskyy thanked for the creation of the Ukraine Assistance Fund amounting to EUR 5 billion and for the support of the Czech Republic's initiative to purchase shells for our soldiers.

"Unfortunately, the use of artillery at the frontline by our soldiers is humiliating for Europe in the sense that Europe can provide more. And it is crucial to prove it now," he said.

According to the Ukrainian president, "we should not anticipate what Putin has in store for the Baltics or other parts of Europe if we can destroy his aggressive potential now."

"I hope we can all agree that our Europe needs real defense self-sufficiency. This can only be achieved by increasing the production of weapons and ammunition on the continent. Ukraine demonstrates that it can be done quite quickly. Please do not waste the time needed to activate defense production," he said.

Zelenskyy also proposed "to invest in our production of drones – one of the key types of weapons in modern warfare."

"The potential of our drone production is sufficient. And sufficient funding is needed to realize this potential on the frontline. Everything we build to protect Ukraine will also work to protect our entire Europe," he said.

According to the head of state, "the issue of trade – in particular the continuation of the trade liberalization regime with the EU, is not just about certain goods but about the ability to withstand Russian aggression. Any loss in trade is a loss of a resource that stops Russia."

"Our grain is important for the southern part of the EU, namely for the agricultural sector in Spain and Italy. Our sugar is needed for the Romanian market. Similar facts can be noted for other categories of goods. Over the past year, we have done and are now doing everything to restore the normal volume of our food exports from the ports of Odesa, as well as through the Danube region and Romanian ports. Ukraine has once again become a donor of food security for our traditional export destinations – North Africa and Asia," he said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that "Russian access to the European agricultural market is still unrestricted."

"And when Ukrainian grain is thrown on the roads or railway tracks, Russian products are still being transported to Europe, as well as goods from Putin’s controlled Belarus. This is not fair. It is even more unfair when someone tries to break down systematic trade solutions that have been in place for years and work for the strength of the whole Europe. Attempts of trade separatism within Europe weaken the entire continent," he said.

According to the Ukrainian president, the approval of an EU-Ukraine negotiating framework "could greatly support our people and send the right signal to the whole of Europe after the European Parliament elections in June."

Zelenskyy stated that this year Ukraine "must use Russian assets to protect and restore life in Ukraine, which the aggressor is destroying. This is only fair when both the profits from Russian assets and the assets themselves will serve to rebuild Ukraine after the hostilities, support Ukraine, and, in part, purchase weapons to stop the terror."