Ukraine’s leader says the West’s hesitation to support Kiev is costing time and lives and could prolong fighting for years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West to toughen sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and increase its support for Kiev to ensure Moscow does not succeed in its war.

The West’s hesitation to support Ukraine and fear of an escalation of the war with Russia cost time and lives and could prolong the fighting for years, Zelensky said in an emotional speech to Ukraine on Tuesday World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

With the West’s once relentless period of war Support for Kyiv is now wavering Given the political disputes in Washington and Brussels, Zelensky said Europeans must understand that Putin’s plans go beyond the war in Ukraine.

“In fact, Putin embodies war. …He won’t change. …We have to change. “We all need to change enough to prevent the madness that lurks in the mind of this man or any other attacker from taking over,” the president said.

Almost two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Zelensky said he was strongly opposed to freezing the conflict in its current form.

“Putin is a predator who is not satisfied with frozen products,” he said.

He said sanctions against Moscow must be properly enforced and the lack of sanctions against Russia’s nuclear sector was an example of the West’s weakness.

European Union and NATO leaders echoed Zelensky’s concerns, telling the forum that the West must not let up on supplying Ukraine with weapons and money if it wants Kiev to prevail.

“Ukrainians need predictable financing in 2024 and beyond. “They need a sufficient and sustainable supply of weapons to defend Ukraine and regain their rightful territory,” advised EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said in Davos that support for Ukraine was not charity, but an investment in the alliance’s own security.

“We simply have to stand by Ukraine. “At some point Russia will understand that it is paying too high a price and will sit down and agree to some kind of just peace – but we have to stand with Ukraine,” he said.

The forum comes as Kiev’s troops are becoming more defensive after a year Big counteroffensive Last year he failed to break through Russian defense lines in the occupied south and east of Ukraine.

A few hours after the Ukrainian president, Putin insisted that his forces had the upper hand.

“Not only has their counteroffensive failed, but the initiative is entirely in the hands of the Russian armed forces,” the Russian leader said in a televised address.

“If this continues, an irreparable, very serious blow could be dealt to Ukraine’s statehood,” he added.

Putin also rejected the possibility of peace talks with Ukraine, saying the country had developed “prohibitive formulas for the peace process.”

Kyiv is now focusing on this trying to secure Western help Congress is stalled in the US Congress and Brussels as it reforms its recruiting efforts to replenish the workforce and address artillery shortages on the front lines.

In a question-and-answer session after his speech, Zelensky said he had received “positive signals” about the EU’s release of financial support.

He said he hoped the U.S. would approve more aid within weeks.

To make his point about the need to support Kiev, he asked rhetorically which other European country could provide a combat-ready army that could hold back Russian forces.

“If anyone thinks that this is only about Ukraine, they are fundamentally mistaken. Possible directions and even the timing of new Russian aggression beyond Ukraine are becoming increasingly apparent.”

On the sidelines of the forum, Zelensky met senior officials, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Stoltenberg and international investors, including executives from JPMorgan Chase.