Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the answer to the question of how much longer Putin can hold out in his war against the Ukrainian people is in Washington on the sidelines of the NATO summit and depends only on the determination of the allies.

"How much longer can Putin last? The answer to this question is right here in Washington – your leadership, your actions, your choice – the choice to act now," he said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Institute.

The president spoke about the aftermath of the latest Russian missile attack that killed 43 people and destroyed the Okhmatdyt children's hospital, noting that "Russia always knows where its missiles hit."

"Imagine this – doctors, ordinary people, rescuers – all together clearing the debris, trying to save as many lives as possible. Did any of them wait? Was anyone who found themselves under the rubble ready to wait months? No, of course not. Because it’s senseless. Because when it is needed to save a life – you save a life. When it is needed to beat enemies, you beat enemies... This is how we can defeat Putin," he stated and emphasized that today at the NATO summit we need strong decisions, and we are waiting for them, and we are counting on them.

"We, in Ukraine, and all other neighbours of Russia including those to whom America has alliance commitments, need answers - whether the principles of the territorial integrity of states and the inviolability of national borders will remain in force," he noted.

"For 75 years, Europeans could be confident that no matter the friction within the Alliance – no one, when talking to Russia, would trade the membership of European nations. But why does Moscow hope for this now? And why do the words 'Ukraine is a NATO member' cause more fear not in Moscow?" the president asked.

"Our people are doing their best. The best of what is available to us in Ukraine. And we have proven more than once that the more we have, the harder it is for Putin to make war. He still thinks that war might pay, he still thinks that humiliating America might pay... His personal story must finally end so that the story of peace becomes lasting... And this must be our strategy. And right now," he said.