Zelensky: ‘Putin’s Real Enemy Is the Rules-Based Order’ – Key Takeaways From Brussels

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned European leaders on Friday, Oct. 16, that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s real adversary is the rules-based international order, and urged the EU to stand together against Moscow’s aggression.

The Presidential Office published the full text of Zelensky’s address after he delivered it at the European Council meeting in Brussels. Zelensky spoke about Russia’s threat to Europe, Ukraine’s defense needs, sanctions, frozen Russian assets, Moldova and Kyiv’s path toward EU membership.

Zelensky said Putin’s “real enemy is an international order based on rules.” The Russian leader, he argued, is hostile to the EU not because of a specific policy or grievance, but because European unity and independent states stand in the way of a world in which leaders can wage war without consequences.

“If he wins, everything that holds you together and keeps your people living in peace will simply be gone,” Zelensky said. He pointed to Putin’s criticism of developments since 1985, saying: “We don’t want to go back there.”

Zelensky also recalled Russia’s war against Chechnya. He said it taught Putin that oil and gas could be used to “tempt the world” and persuade politicians to look away even as cities were destroyed. He urged the EU not to ease sanctions, warning that Russia uses every opportunity to restore revenues and fund its war.

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Zelensky said the war would cost Ukraine €155 billion in 2027 and asked European partners for at least €70 billion more for defense, weapons and resilience. He said Ukraine could produce two or three times more drones, depending on the type, if it had enough funding.

He also urged EU countries to provide 300 Patriot interceptors to help defend Ukraine against ballistic missiles and called for a strong 22nd EU sanctions package targeting people and companies involved in Russia’s missile, communications and drone industries.

Zelensky asked Europe to protect frozen Russian assets so they could be used to support Ukraine. He warned that if the EU failed to act, Putin could find a way to regain control of the money and use it to finance the war.

Zelensky links Ukraine’s defense to Europe’s security

Zelensky said Ukraine’s army and military technologies help protect Europe, arguing that the continent’s security guarantees cannot be built without Ukraine’s experience and defense capabilities. He warned that Putin was building a Russia resembling North Korea, where children are raised from an early age for war and to die for their leader.

The president also said Ukraine was helping Moldova counter Russian efforts to destabilize the country through Transnistria. According to Zelensky, this requires work by Ukraine’s security and intelligence services, as well as moving some military forces away from other tasks to keep risks under control.

He argued that separating Ukraine and Moldova on their path toward EU membership would be morally wrong. Ukraine, he said, is helping Moldova remain stable and independent, and the two countries should move forward together. Four EU accession clusters have opened for Ukraine this year, Zelensky said, with two more remaining. Kyiv Post previously reported on the accession-cluster process.

Zelensky ended by reiterating Ukraine’s European aspirations, saying the country would join the EU and that more people recognize its importance to NATO. He urged European leaders to account for Ukraine’s defense role in the bloc’s long-term budget and keep working together to strengthen European security.