Free world must wake up, think about how to protect its citizens - Zaluzhnyi

Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, former Ukrainian Armed Forces' Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi emphasized this in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Valerii Zaluzhnyi quoted the phrase from the ancient Roman writer Vegetius, “Si vis pacem, para bellum” (If you want peace, prepare for war), and noted that these words "are ideally suited to a democratic society even today, in the 21st century.”

"Turning to the events of 2022-2024 of the decade-long war between Ukraine and Russia, we must honestly tell humanity what is happening and what the humanity should be prepared for. Free and democratic nations and their governments need to wake up and think about how to protect their citizens and their countries," Zaluzhnyi said.

He added that Ukraine is ready to share all its knowledge and experience with the free world. Among the most important lessons learned from the war, the former Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief highlighted a few.

"First of all, wars must be avoided! But if it does come, you need to be prepared for it," he emphasized.

Zaluzhnyi noted that readiness for war should be viewed as a comprehensive set of measures that encompass not only purely military aspects but all spheres of state activity.

He called the readiness of society, which is based on honest and transparent communication between the government and the people, the most complex and important component.

"Society must agree to temporarily give up a range of freedoms for the sake of survival. Modern wars, unfortunately, are total. They require the efforts not only of the army, but also of society as a whole," Zaluzhnyi noted.

In his opinion, political leaders can and should mobilize society. And for this, it is necessary to engage comprehensively.

"Among such resources are the economics, finance, population and allies. Such actions, of course, will affect the political processes in the state. Thus, the readiness for war will be determined not only by the readiness of the army to repel aggression, but also by the readiness of society to confront the enemy," Zaluzhnyi added.

In addition, he noted that war should not be viewed as part of the internal political process, but only as the utmost concentration of efforts for survival.

"War is a science. Science with its own laws and rules that need to be known and studied. Using the war for their own purposes or trying to influence its course for their own interests is a crime that results in huge casualties," emphasized the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom.

• On July 11, former Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that he had officially taken up his duties as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom.