"We tell them [the partners]: do you want us to talk to the Russians? Then strengthen us. We need to sit at the table as equals, not just have a chair off to the side. Give us an invitation [official invitation to NATO], and provide weapons and so on," the president stated.
According to him, Russians must understand that Ukraine is receiving powerful Western weaponry and is prepared to use it if the Russian Federation does not end the war.
"A strong country with defenses leads to different negotiations. Then no one can just say to you: 'Look, if this is not here tomorrow, the day after tomorrow you won’t be here.' No one will say that to you, because there is a response, and it is already focused in Ukraine – a deterrence package, the right weapons, and the appropriate number of military personnel and partners," Zelensky said.