DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) 鈥� Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for 鈥渕aximum鈥� during a virtual speech Monday to corporate executives, government officials and other elites on the first day of the World Economic Economic gathering in Davos.
He said sanctions need to go further to stop Russia鈥檚 aggression, including an , blocking all of its banks and cutting off trade with Russia completely. He said that it's a precedent that would work for decades to come.
鈥淭his is what sanctions should be: They should be maximum, so that Russia and every other potential aggressor that wants to wage a brutal war against its neighbor would clearly know the immediate consequences of their actions," Zelenskyy said through a translator.
He also pushed for the complete to prevent supporting its war and said Ukraine needs at least $5 billion in funding per month.
鈥淭he amount of work is enormous: we have more than half a trillion of dollars in losses, tens of thousands of facilities were destroyed. We need to rebuild entire cities and industries,鈥� Zelenskyy said, coming days after the Group of Seven leading economies agreed to .
He said that if Ukraine had 鈥渞eceived 100% of our needs at once, back in February" in terms of weapons, funding, political support and sanctions against Russia, 鈥渢he result would be tens of thousands of lives saved."
Zelenskyy's speech is a key focus Monday at Davos, the village in the Swiss Alps that has been transformed into a glitzy venue for the four-day confab ostensibly dedicated to making the world a better place. The event is after a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also delayed this year鈥檚 meeting from its usual winter slot.
For the attendees, there's much to tackle amid soaring food and fuel prices, Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine, , inequality and persistent health crises. But it鈥檚 hard to predict if the high-minded discussions will yield substantial announcements that make headway on the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges.
鈥淭his war is really a turning point of history, and it will reshape our political and our economic landscape in the coming years,鈥� said the event's founder, Klaus Schwab.
Zelenskyy, who received a standing ovation after this remarks, reiterated that Russia was blocking critical food supplies, such as wheat and sunflower oil, from leaving its ports.
Ukraine, along with Russia, is a , barley and sunflower oil, and the interruption of those supplies is threatening food insecurity in countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia that .
The head of the called for Ukraine's ports to reopen, saying the region鈥檚 farmers 鈥済row enough food to feed 400 million people.鈥�
If such , the world could face a food availability problem in the next 10 to 12 months, and 鈥渢hat is going to be hell on earth,鈥� WFP Executive Director David Beasley told The Associated Press.
He warned that there are 鈥�49 million (people) knocking on famine鈥檚 door right now in 43 countries,鈥� including Yemen, Lebanon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Congo, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Beasley called on the world鈥檚 top mega-billionaires to aid efforts to prevent hunger: 鈥淭he world is in real serious trouble. This is not rhetoric and B.S. Step up now, because the world needs you.鈥�
Besides Zelenskyy's speech, a sizable Ukrainian government delegation is attending in person, making their case for more Western support in the country鈥檚 fight against Russia.
Russian officials have not been invited to Davos this year, with what was dubbed the 鈥淩ussia House" having been transformed by critics 鈥� including Ukrainian tycoon Victor Pinchuk and the country鈥檚 Foreign Ministry 鈥� into what they call the 鈥淩ussia War Crimes House."
The venue features photos of crimes and cruelties that Russian forces are accused of perpetuating.
While Ukraine will capture attention on the meeting鈥檚 first day, will be a constant theme until Thursday鈥檚 finale, with panels on extreme weather, efforts to reach 鈥渘et zero鈥� emissions and finding cleaner sources of energy.
___
AP reporters Kelvin Chan and Peter Prengaman contributed from Davos.
Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press
