On February 17, 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the Munich Security Conference, where he compared the fight against Russia to the story of David and Goliath.
– The world has no alternative but to defeat Goliath, who came to destroy our lives. To be David means to fight, and we are fighting. To be a David means to have a sling with which to win. We do not yet have a David’s sling from Israel, but I hope that this is only temporary, and I want to thank the powerful support with money and weapons,” Zelenskyy said.
He thanked French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who were present at the panel, as well as other partners who help Ukraine, for their support.
– I am grateful to everyone who gives a sling to the Ukrainian David. Russia’s Goliath has already begun to lose its balance,” the Ukrainian President emphasized.
He recalled that last year he sought resolve and unity from the world and added that Ukraine had openly said that it would fight if Russia started a war.
– I wanted to hear from the world: Ukraine, we are with you. But unfortunately, I heard it only after Russian missiles hit our land. After Russian tanks had crossed our borders and Putin had destroyed all alternatives, asking the question: We or he,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, this Munich conference showed that Goliath has no chance, but, unfortunately, “he has the potential” because he is trying to buy additional time by bargaining with the world, so Ukraine needs to hurry to limit Russia’s potential.
– We need the speed of our agreements and deliveries, because our lives depend on this speed. Procrastination has always been a mistake. While we are negotiating about tanks, the Kremlin is thinking about how to strangle Moldova. When we are convincing that Ukraine needs modern aviation, Russia convinced the Iranian regime, as a result of which we have not only Iranian drones in the Ukrainian sky, but also something the Kremlin paid for it,” the president explained.
He added that Ukraine would not accept any compromise.
He added that Ukraine will not accept any compromise, and there is no alternative to Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO, because otherwise the Kremlin can destroy security.
The President reminded that the longer Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO was discussed, the more aggressive the Kremlin’s policy became.
– The longer the silence on Crimea was on the global agenda, the stronger Russian revanchism became. The longer the world argued about what sanctions to impose on Russia and when, the stronger the Kremlin’s ambitions became. The longer we did not have unity, the more illusions Russia had,” the president said.
Zelenskyy expressed confidence that Ukraine is capable of defeating Russia and expelling it from its land, restoring security in the Black Sea region and supplying food and grain to countries that need it.
– David defeated Goliath not by talking, but by the power of his actions. He defeated Goliath not by talking, but by the power of his actions. We have courage, we have enough of it. The sling must become stronger now. So that next year we can meet for the first post-war conference. After the victory of a free Ukraine, Europe and the world,” he summarized.
The story of David and Goliath is a biblical account of how a young shepherd named David defeated a giant warrior named Goliath to save the Jewish people from the Philistines. To do this, he used a sling, a stone-throwing tool, in which he placed five smooth stones. At the same time, Goliath fought with a sword, spear, and shield.
