Ukraine president throws shade at Biden over US absence: 'Watching from afar'

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a statement scolding his country's allies for "watching from afar" as the country is forced to defend itself alone against a much larger Russian military invasion.

In a statement, Zelenskyy seemed to swipe U.S. President Biden and others who imposed sanctions against Russia, which he claims did little to deter Russian aggression.

"This morning we are defending our state alone. Like yesterday, the world's most powerful forces are watching from afar," he said, the Kyiv Independent reported.

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He added: "Did yesterday's sanctions convince Russia? We hear in our sky and see on our earth that this was not enough."

In this handout photo taken from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022.  (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

The Ukrainian president also asked what more he has to do to get support from NATO: "Today, I have asked 27 European leaders whether Ukraine will be in NATO. I have asked directly - everyone is afraid, no one answers."

"But we are not afraid," he added, Reuters reported. "We are not afraid of anything. We are not afraid to defend our country, we are not afraid of Russia, we are not afraid to talk to Russia, we are not afraid to talk about anything, about security guarantees for our country, we are not afraid of talking about neutrality, we are not NATO members at the moment. But what guarantees will we get? And most importantly which countries will give us those guarantees?"

Zelenskyy also boasted of his country’s defensive capabilities, suggesting they were winning the war and that Russia would be the one to initiate negotiating an end to it.

"Russia will have to talk to us sooner or later about how to end hostilities and stop this invasion," he said, the Kyiv Independent reported. "The sooner the conversation begins, the smaller Russia's losses will be."

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And Ukraine isn’t giving up, Zelenskyy added.

"Tonight you began bombing residential areas in the hero city of Kyiv. This is like 1941. I want to tell all Russian citizens who are coming out to protest: We hear you, you heard us, you started to believe us. Fight for us. Fight the war," he said.

President Biden (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Italian Premier Mario Draghi each announced that their respective countries would be sanctioning Russia or that they supported international economic sanctions against the country, following Wednesday's invasion. 

On Thursday, Zelenskyy declared martial law and announced that Ukraine had severed diplomatic ties with Russia after the neighboring nation launched a military invasion into Ukraine.

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The president's actions came in a second video that Zelenskyy posted to social media as television images seen around the world showed Russian troops entering his country.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference after an extraordinary EU summit on Ukraine in Brussels, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

"Dear Ukrainians, this morning, President Putin announced a special military operation in the Donbas," Zelenskyy said in a video posted to social media, after photos and videos of Russian troops invading Ukraine circulated online. 

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"They say that Ukraine may pose a threat to Russia. This wasn’t a case in the past, nor is it now, and won’t be in the future. Our main goal is to maintain peace in Ukraine and keep Ukrainian citizens safe," he added.