Zelenskyy on safety of foreign visitors traveling to Moscow for May 9: Ukraine cannot be held responsible for what happens in Russia
Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign representatives traveling to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day parade, President Zelenskyy warned. He noted that the Russian side is capable of staging incidents involving foreign guests and then shifting the blame onto Ukraine – something Ukraine cannot be responsible for.
"Our position is very simple for all countries planning to go or already heading to Russia on May 9: we cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation. They [Russia] are the ones providing security, and therefore, we will not offer any guarantees. We don't know what Russia will do on those dates. They may take certain actions – arson, explosions, and so on – and then accuse us. As president, I told the foreign minister that we must inform anyone who reaches out to us: 'We do not recommend visiting Russia from a [safety] standpoint. And if you do choose to go, do not ask us. That is your personal decision,'" Zelenskyy stated during the press briefing.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine acts in a respectful and balanced manner toward China and countries that have not supported it since the start of the war – or that have leaned toward Russia due to historical ties.
"We've had other nations approach us before their visits to Russia, asking us to ensure nothing happens while they're there. That's diplomacy – it exists in many forms. We take a very balanced and respectful approach to all countries and we listen – to what they ask and what they request," the president said.
"Ukraine bears no responsibility for what is currently happening inside Russia. That's a fact. We are responsible here, on our own territory. And I'm confident other countries conduct similar diplomacy with the Russians when they visit us. Experience has shown that we've hosted many different leaders, and during those visits there were various forms of attacks, assaults, and intimidation," he added.