Ukraine's president warns of costs of prolonged war with Russia

KYIV, Ukraine

Ukraine’s president warned Tuesday that the longer Russia’s war against his country continues, the greater the price will be of “protecting freedom.”

“Not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole free world,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram.

“Therefore, the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine -- MLRS, tanks, anti-ship and other weapons -- is the best investment in maintaining stability in the world and preventing many severe crises that Russia is still planning or has already provoked,” he said.

“We continue to work to ensure that Ukraine receives reliable security guarantees after this war,” he added.

An international advisory group headed by Andrii Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been set up, he said.

“The group will include leading experts in the fields of security and defense, diplomacy,” he added.

“Their task is to develop a format of guarantees that will really work. And not for several months or years, but during the lifetime of many generations of our Ukrainians.”

At least 3,942 civilians have been killed and 4,591 injured since Russia launched a war on Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Nearly 6.6 million people have fled to other countries, while more than 7.7 million have been internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.