Zelenskyy tells donor conference: 'Freedom must protect and provide'

Poland and Sweden hosted an international donors' conference to raise aid for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged donors to show that "freedom" protects better than "tyranny."

The leaders of Poland, Sweden and the European Union called on international donors to pledge funds to boost aid for Ukraine at a conference in Warsaw on Thursday

In a video speech at the conference Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said funds were needed to address urgent humanitarian needs now — but also urged EU leaders to accelerate membership talks, to secure Ukraine's future.

What did Zelenskyy say?

The High-Level International Donors' Conference for Ukraine, co-hosted by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, featured a speech by Zelenskyy — who joined in a live video broadcast.

The Ukrainian president said the conference showed "our continent is united."

"How this brutal war will end is decided not only on the battlefield — there is also the economy and finance, humanitarian support, and the ability to ensure normal life on liberated territories and rebuilding what was destroyed by the Russian army," Zelenskyy told the conference.

He stressed, however, that "freedom must demonstrate that it protects and provides [for]

the people better than tyranny."

The Ukrainian leader said his country needs funds to provide aid to its citizens and keep the country running as the war goes on.

Looking to after the conflict, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs "a strategic international support plan" to recover and rebuild after the war. He said such a plan should rival the US Marshall Plan

— which was implemented in the aftermath of World War II to help western Europe rebuild.

In remarks pointed at EU leaders in attendance, Zelenskyy said his country's bid for bloc membership must move forward to the "candidacy" stage.

"That is why Ukraine's membership in the European Union must be an absolute reality. Not just promises or prospects, but practical steps."

What support have EU leaders pledged?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was pledging another €200 million (roughly $210 million) for internally displaced people in Ukraine — on top of the €1.8 billion the EU previously pledged for those internally displaced.

In a nod to Zelenskyy's urging for progress in EU membership talks, von der Leyen said reconstruction funds "will also pave [Ukraine's] way into the European Union."

Other EU leaders present also echoed Zelenskyy's calls for a wide-ranging aid and recovery plan for Ukraine.

"We must act now to address the immediate suffering of the Ukrainian people both in and outside Ukraine," said European Council President Charles Michel.

"We must not be complacent, we must do much more to deliver practical support now, immediately," he added.

The international donor conference in Warsaw hopes to secure funds for rebuilding areas destroyed by the war across Ukraine