Ukraine president on Friday said his country has been left one to fight back Russia as Kremlin launched a large scale invasion that killed 130 Ukrainians in the first day.
“We have been left alone to defend our state,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address to the nation after midnight.
Slamming western allies, the president said: “Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of Nato membership? Everyone is afraid.”
Zelensky said that 137 Ukrainians, both military personnel and civilians, had been killed since the start of the attack early Thursday. He added another 316 had been wounded.
Zelensky also said that Russian “sabotage groups” had entered the capital Kyiv, and urged the city’s citizens to remain vigilant and observe a curfew.
The president added that he and his family remained in Ukraine, despite Russia identifying him as “target number one”.
“They want to destroy Ukraine politically by taking down the head of state,” Zelensky said.
Mr Zelensky, who had earlier cut diplomatic ties with Moscow and declared martial law, appealed to global leaders, saying that “if you don’t help us now, if you fail to offer a powerful assistance to Ukraine, tomorrow the war will knock on your door.”