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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during the annual Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany February 19, 2022. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert - 

As Ukraine braces for a possible attack from Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday (Feb 19) he wanted to convene a meeting of world powers to secure new security guarantees for his country as the current global system is no longer fit for purpose.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy also called on NATO members to be honest about whether they wanted Ukraine to join the alliance or not.

The 44-year-old leader received a standing ovation before starting remarks in which he called on the world to learn the "terrible lessons from history" and chided the international community for what he said was the appeasing of Russia.

"The rules that the world agreed on decades ago no longer work. They do not keep up with new threats. Not effective for overcoming them. This is a cough syrup when you need a coronavirus vaccine," he said.

"The security system is slow. It crashes again. Because of selfishness, self-confidence, irresponsibility of states at the global level," he said.

Calling the global security architecture "almost broken", Zelenskiy said he wanted to convene a meeting of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, which includes Russia, and Germany and Turkey to provide new guarantees for Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said if the West was so sure that Russia was about to attack, it should impose sanctions on Moscow, rather than threatening to impose them in the event of an attack, because they were of no use once bombs starting raining down on Ukraine.

He said that reports that Ukraine has been shelling regions controlled by Moscow-backed separatists and inside the Russian border are "pure lies", adding that his country would not respond to provocations.

"What was shown yesterday in the temporarily occupied territories, some shells allegedly flying from our side, some flying all the way to Rostov, these are pure lies," he said. "They are blowing up something on their side."

He urged Western countries not to wait for a possible Russian invasion to impose sanctions on Russia.

"What do attempts at appeasement lead to?" Zelenskiy said, going on to refer to a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the same conference in 2007.

"Fifteen years ago, it was here that Russia announced its intention to challenge global security. What did the world say? Reconciliation. Result? At least - the annexation of Crimea and aggression against my state," he said.

The United States has warned that Russia could be poised to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine after massing tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's borders in recent weeks. Ukraine has tended to play down the threat of a huge offensive but said it was ready for any possibility.

Russia has denied planning any sort of attack but has demanded its own security guarantees from NATO and the United States, which include a permanent bar on Ukraine joining NATO.

Zelenskiy said countries should be transparent about whether they wanted Ukraine, a country of 41 million on the European Union's eastern borders, to join the EU and NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"If not all members of the alliance want to see us or all members of the alliance do not want to see us, be honest," he said. "Open doors are good, but we need open answers, not closed questions for years."

Zelenskiy spoke earnestly in his speech and during the question and answer session afterwards. But the president, a former comedian and actor, at one point quipped that Russia had launched a hacking attack when his headphones stopped working//CNA

Service members of the Ukrainian armed forces stand at combat positions near the line of separation from Russian-backed rebels, as a dog is seen in the foreground, near the village of Bohdanivka in the Donetsk region, Ukraine February 19, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko - 

The European Union has delivered emergency medical equipment to Ukraine following a request from Kyiv amid an escalation of the crisis with Russia, the European Commission said on Saturday (Feb 19).

The request was made by Ukraine on Tuesday, amid rising fears of an imminent Russian invasion.

So far emergency aid has come from France, Romania, Slovenia, Ireland and Austria, the Commission said.

France has sent a field hospital, medicines and hundreds of tents, blankets, sleeping bags. Additional aid, including medical equipment and power generators, were deployed by the other EU countries. More help is expected in coming days.

"Following a request from the Government of Ukraine for emergency assistance due to the threat of further escalation, the European Commission is coordinating the delivery of essential supplies to support the civilian population," said an EU statement.

When the scale of an emergency overwhelms the response capabilities of a country, it can request assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates assistance from EU and other European countries//CNA

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin pose for media in Vilnius, Lithuania February 19, 2022. REUTERS/Janis Laizans - 

Lithuania's president called on Saturday (Feb 19) for Baltic states' security to be boosted with US troops as the region worries about Russia's massing of troops near Ukraine in what Western nations view as a threat of invasion.

"The Russian military buildup at the eastern NATO border is changing the security situation," President Gitanas Nauseda said in a statement after the meeting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Vilnius.

"It is critically important to strengthen the (Baltic states) regional security with additional troops from the United States and quicken cooperation in military procurement," he added.

Since 2019 the United States has deployed rotating groups of about 500 troops and equipment in Lithuania, and in his statement, Nauseda called on Washington to make this a permanent deployment.

Nauseda said earlier that Lithuania fears that Europe is "on the brink of war".

US President Joe Biden said on Friday he was convinced that President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade Ukraine. Moscow has denied it plans to invade its neighbour.

Austin piled praise on Lithuania for standing up to pressure from Russia, whose military buildup has included sending tens of thousands of troops to Belarus - neighbouring Lithuania - for joint exercises that are due to end on Sunday.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said her country believes the Russian troops in Belarus may stay there for an extended period.

"We can say with large certainty that we will not see the (Russian) troops withdrawn quickly, if at all," she told reporters.

Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko met Putin on Friday, saying beforehand the soldiers could stay as long as needed.

Simonyte said that if Russian troops stay, this could put pressure on the Baltics' only overland connection to the rest of the European Union, a narrow strip of land between Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad enclave known as the Suwalki corridor.

"This would be a major change to the security situation. We will need to adjust accordingly so that the Suwalki corridor and the Baltic states are defended," she said.

Austin also noted pressure on Vilnius from China, which is curbing trade with the Baltic state to punish it for recognizing self-ruled Taiwan.

"I know that I'm visiting at a time when Lithuania is under tremendous pressure from all sides," Austin told Nauseda//CNA

A pharmacy displays a sign to inform customers that Rapid Antigen Test kits are sold out in Sydney, Australia, Jan 5, 2022. (Photo: REUTERS/Jaimi Joy) - 

Australia recorded 43 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday (Feb 19), as it readies to welcome international tourists on Monday for the first time in nearly two years.

The country, which shut its borders in March of 2020, has been gradually reopening since November, allowing first Australians to travel, then international students and workers, and now leisure travellers.

Once a champion of a zero-COVID-19 strategy, the country has moved to live with the coronavirus in the community, chiefly through high vaccination rates that have resulted in less severe cases and fewer hospitalisations.

Even Western Australia, the mining-heavy state that has kept strict borders controls for almost 700 days, has decided it can cope with the Omicron outbreak and will reopen to triple-vaccinated visitors.

The state on Saturday recorded 257 new community infections, its highest yet, and no deaths. Australia's deaths were reported mainly in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, states that continue to see several thousand daily cases or more.

Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, will open a new quarantine hub for unvaccinated international residents on Monday.

"The Omicron variant has shown us we must continue to be flexible in our pandemic response - and the purpose-built (hub) will be vital to how we manage pandemics today and into the future," Lisa Neville, the state's police minister responsible for quarantining, said on Saturday.

Fully vaccinated travellers, Australians and international, are not required to quarantine in managed facilities.

New Zealand, Australia's closest neighbour, which keeps its international borders nearly fully shut, recorded 1,901 community cases, one of its highest daily tallies.

The two are among the most highly vaccinated countries, with more than 94 per cent of people aged 16 and over double-dosed in Australia and 94 per cent of those 12 and older fully vaccinated in New Zealand//CNA