“Ukraine only has a quarter of the anti-aircraft assets it needs”

Zelensky criticizes the West for forbidding him to strike Russia with their weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the West on Friday for prohibiting Ukraine from using weapons supplied by Europe and the United States to strike Russian territory, in an exclusive interview with AFP. “They can hit us from their territory, this is the biggest advantage Russia has, and we can’t do anything to their systems (armaments) located on Russian territory with Western weapons. We don’t have the right to do so.”he said, noting that he had complained about it again this week to the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

Comments which seem to indicate that the American political line has not evolved on this subject, despite recent ambiguous remarks from the head of American diplomacy. “We did not encourage or favor strikes outside Ukraine, but ultimately it is up to Ukraine to make its decisions on how it fights this war”, Antony Blinken declared on Wednesday. A statement which had been interpreted as a change in doctrine from Washington.

“The West is afraid of a Russian defeat as well as a Ukrainian defeat.

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that the West had “fear” both a Russian defeat and a Ukrainian defeat, a situation he describes as “absurd”. “We find ourselves in an absurd situation where the West is afraid that Russia will lose the war. And (at the same time) he doesn’t want Ukraine to lose it. Because the final victory of Ukraine will lead to the defeat of Russia. And the final victory of Russia will lead to the defeat of Ukraine.he said.

“Ukraine only has a quarter of the anti-aircraft assets it needs”

Ukraine has only a quarter of the air defense systems it needs and requires an equal 120 to 130 F-16 fighter jets to be able to claim an end to Russia’s dominance in the air, the Prime Minister said on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Today we have 25% of what we need to defend Ukraine, I’m talking about air defense systems” especially the powerful American Patriots systems, Zelensky said, adding that his country needed “120 to 130” F-16 fighter planes or other modern aircraft, “so that Russia does not have superiority in the air”. “Can we have three billion to acquire two (Patriots) for the Kharkiv region (target of continuous assaults)so the bombs will no longer fall on our soldiers?he asked.

A lack of men and a problem of “morale” of the troops

The Ukrainian president admitted that his country lacked men and that this was affecting the morale of the troops, while a new law on mobilization comes into force on Saturday to replenish the ranks of the army. “We have to fill the reserves (…) There are a significant number of brigades which are empty. We have to do it so that the guys (who are on the front) can have normal rotations. This is how morale will improve.he said.

“The attack on the Kharkiv region could be the first wave of a Russian offensive”

Volodymyr Zelensky judged on Friday that the assault launched by Russia against the Kharkiv region could only be the first wave of a broader offensive, and that Moscow wanted “tackle” the eponymous regional capital. “They have launched their operation, it may consist of several waves. And that’s their first wave.”assured the Ukrainian president, while Russia has just made its biggest territorial gains since the end of 2022.

He nevertheless assured that, despite Russian advances in recent days in this northeastern region, the situation was better for his forces than a week ago, when Kremlin troops crossed the border by surprise on May 10. . “They are 5-10 km maximum from the border, we stopped them (…) I will not say that it is a great success (Russian), but we must be sober and admit that it is they, not us, who are encroaching into our territory. This is their advantage., he noted. According to him, the situation is not yet “stabilized”. “Nevertheless, the situation is under control, and better than the first day” of the offensive thanks to the reinforcements deployed, he said.

“The Russians want to attack the city of Kharkiv”

For him, Russia wants to attack the city of Kharkiv, the country’s second city, only a few dozen kilometers from the front. Moscow had already failed to take it in 2022 and Vladimir Putin said on Friday that it had no intention of attacking it. “for the moment”. The Ukrainian president assured that the battle for the city, if there was one, would be tough for the Russian army. “They want it, they want to attack”he said, but “They understand it’s an uphill battle. It’s a big city and they understand that we have forces and that they will fight for a long time.”.

It is now a matter of Ukraine and its Western allies not showing weakness, therefore requiring two Patriot anti-aircraft systems to defend the region’s skies and the soldiers who defend it, said the president. “They are like a beast (….) If they sense a weakness in this direction, they will push”Zelensky warned, but if Ukrainian troops manage to stop Russian troops, she will give up. “They are not going to die by the millions, in my opinion, to have Kharkiv.”

“Russia does not have the forces for a new assault on kyiv.

Russia does not have the means to launch a new major assault against kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled on Friday, while Moscow is on the offensive in the east and north-east of Ukraine. “They do not have the forces for a major offensive on the capital as they did at the start of the invasion”estimated Zelensky, who thinks that Donbass (east) and Kharkiv (northeast) are the Kremlin’s main targets.

Zelensky rejects the Olympic truce wanted by Emmanuel Macron

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he rejected the idea of “truce” in the war with Russia for the duration of the Paris Olympic Games that French President Emmanuel Macron wanted. “I said: Emmanuel, we don’t believe it. Let’s imagine for a second that there is a ceasefire. First, we don’t trust Putin. Second, he is not going to withdraw his troops. Thirdly, (…) tell me Emmanuel, I said, who guarantees that Russia will not take advantage of this to bring its troops to our territory”said Zelensky, rejecting a “truce which would play into the hands of the enemy”. “We are not against a truce, we are not against the end of the war. But we want a just end to this war. And we are against a truce which would play into the hands of the enemy.”he added.

Zelensky wants China to attend Peace Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to see China “involved” in the conference on peace in Ukraine, which Switzerland is to organize in June, without Russia, he declared. “I would like to see China involved in the peace summit”he said. “Global players” like China “have an influence on Russia. And the more countries of this type we have on our side, on the side of the end of the war, I would say, the more Russia will have to reckon with this.added Zelensky.