Kyiv, April 5 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr on Tuesday said the country needs “serious players” who can “go all the way” to make security guarantees. He said, “We need serious players who are ready to go all the way. We need a circle of countries who would within 24 hours provide us with any weapons.” CNN quoted the President as saying that Ukraine has not yet received “a specific list of these countries that are prepared to 100 per cent stand up for us.” “These countries would come together. And within 24 hours, two or three days will impose everything, block everything. And simply put this country in a containment,” he said, adding that the countries need to be states “who have real influence over the sanctions policy” and who are prepared to mobilize “as soon as we hear any threats from the Russian Federation”. Speaking on NATO membership, he said, “If we are offered NATO membership tomorrow without playing with our lives, then we will join.” On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Russian president Vladimir Putin and his supporters would “feel the consequences” and that Western partners would intensify sanctions against Moscow. BBC quoted US national security adviser Jake Sullivan as saying that the US was working “intensively with its European allies on further sanctions to raise the pressure and raise the cost on Putin and on Russia”. RNJ
