JAKARTA - The presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Wednesday, calling for increased military support for Ukraine and Russia to take responsibility for the actions of their forces on the ground.
European politicians have flocked by train to the Ukrainian capital since Russian troops withdrew from the north of the country in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance earlier this month.
Prior to meeting President Zelensky, the four presidents visited areas in the Kyiv region, where hundreds of civilians killed have been found following the Russian withdrawal.
Moscow has denied responsibility and dismissed accusations that its troops committed war crimes there as fake news, denying its forces were targeting civilians.
"This is not war, this is terrorism," Polish President Andrzej Duda said at a news conference in Kyiv, flanked by Zelensky and the presidents of the Baltic states.
"We are not only talking about the soldiers who committed the crime, but those who issued the orders, all of them must be brought to justice," he stressed.
The desire for Russia to be held to account was echoed by other visiting presidents, who have also said they plan to encourage the international community to step up military support for Ukraine as the country prepares for an intensified Russian offensive in the East.
"It is our duty to help Ukraine with all kinds of weapons," said Latvian President Egils Levits.
While his colleague from Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda said, "Ukraine's future will be decided on the battlefield. Ukraine must win."
The four presidents' visit came a day after US President Joe Biden said Moscow's invasion of Ukraine amounted to genocide, while Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Moscow would rhythmically and calmly continue its operations and achieve its goals.
President Putin sent his troops to Ukraine on February 24 in what he called a special military operation, to demilitarize and denazify the country. Ukraine and its allies say Putin is waging a war of unwarranted aggression.
"President Putin must lose this war or there will be no peace in Europe," said Estonian President Alar Karis.
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Separately, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed "annoyance" after the country's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier canceled a visit to Kyiv at the same time.
He said it was meant "to send a strong signal of European solidarity with Ukraine". Chancellor Scholz said Kyiv did not want Steinmeier to visit. But at Wednesday's news conference, President Zelensky said he had not been formally approached by Steinmeier or his office regarding the visit.
Speaking of his visitors in Kyiv, President Zelensky said he was grateful they had stood "shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine."
"The four leaders from the four countries have always protected us, always defended us," he said.
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