“Victory must be first and foremost on the battlefield,” the president told the British newspaper Financial Times, reiterating that his country needed at least “as many weapons as the Russians have.”
“For now, we cannot move forward vigorously without suffering heavy losses,” Zelensky said, urging Western allies to supply more weapons to his country.
Asked what Ukraine considers a “victory” in this war, Zelenskiy said that a return to the situation before the Russian invasion, which began on February 24, would be a “major temporary victory” until the end of the occupation of the country.
Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 was followed by a clash with pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow, who took control of large swaths of the country’s east before the Russian invasion began.
As for talks with Russia, broken off since late March, the Ukrainian president has maintained that he “has not changed” his stance that “the whole war must be ended at the negotiating table.”
“I am ready for direct negotiations with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, whether I like it or not. But only if it serves to end the war, and not just “bullshit”. I’m ready for it. I believe that in Russia there is no one else to talk to,” Zelensky concluded.
Early on February 24, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine that has displaced nearly 15 million people—more than eight million internally displaced people and more than 6.9 million—for neighboring countries, according to the latest UN figures. , which rates this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Also, according to the UN, about 15 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The Russian invasion, justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security, was condemned by the international community as a whole, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia that have virtually no effect in all sectors, from banking to sports.
The UN confirmed today that 4,253 civilians have been killed and 5,141 injured in the war, which is now in its 104th day, stressing that the real numbers could be much higher and will only be known when there is access to the fenced areas or in the face of fierce fighting.
