LONDON

The Ukrainian president said Thursday that the main task of Europe today is "to stop Russia," suggesting that Russian assets should be confiscated, not just frozen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has started the war in Ukraine so it can be "pushed to stop this war."

"It's time to confiscate Russian assets, not just freeze them, confiscate them and use them to serve peace, not war," he said during his videoconference speech at the Helsinki+50 Conference, which is held in the Finnish capital Helsinki.

He noted that Europeans have to protect themselves from threats posed by Russia in the long term.

"If the world doesn't aim to change the regime in Russia, that means even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilize neighboring countries," he asserted.

Zelenskyy said Europe's "main task is to stop Russia now and to do everything" they can to grow their shared strengths in security, economy, technology, and social development.

Hosted by Finland, Helsinki+50 Conference marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, which was signed to improve relations between the Eastern and Western blocs during the Cold War by addressing security, economic, and humanitarian issues.