Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the international community to take a firmer stance against Russia, calling for a concerted effort to push for regime change in Moscow.
He warned that unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, Russia will continue to pose a threat to regional stability even after the war in Ukraine ends.
Zelensky made the remarks during a virtual address at a high-level conference hosted in Finland to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, a Cold War-era agreement designed to foster peace and cooperation between East and West.
“Russia can be compelled to stop this war—it started it, and it can be made to end it,” Zelensky said.
“But if the world doesn’t work toward regime change, the Kremlin will persist in efforts to destabilize its neighbors.”
Zelensky also renewed calls for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets, urging allies to redirect them toward supporting Ukraine’s defense and broader efforts to uphold international peace.
“It’s not enough to just freeze Russian assets, they must be seized and used to counteract Russian aggression,” he stated.
“Let those stolen funds serve peace, not war.”
The Ukrainian leader had been invited to attend the Helsinki conference in person but instead appeared remotely.
While Russia was officially represented at the event, it did not send high-ranking officials. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had earlier confirmed Russia’s participation but downplayed its significance.
The conference marked half a century since the signing of the Helsinki Final Act on August 1, 1975.
The pact, signed by 35 nations, including the United States and the then-Soviet Union, laid the groundwork for what would become the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Central to the agreement is the principle of inviolability of borders, a commitment severely tested by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“One of the most dangerous ideas taking root in Russia today is that its borders are wherever it wants them to be,” Zelensky said, criticizing the Kremlin’s expansionist rhetoric.
Kyiv has repeatedly called for Russia to be expelled from the OSCE, though the country remains listed as a member.
In July 2024, Russia suspended its participation in the body’s parliamentary assembly, accusing it of being biased and anti-Russian.
Adding to the regional strain, Finland which shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia, closed its eastern frontier in December 2023 following a sudden influx of migrants lacking proper documentation.
Finnish authorities accused Russia of orchestrating the incident, an allegation the Kremlin has denied.
