One of Volodymyr Zelensky’s great fears is the weariness of Western opinions regarding support for kyiv. While accusing Russia of “providing support” for the attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel, the Ukrainian president expressed his fear that this new war would distract international attention from what is happening in Ukraine, during an interview on the France 2 channel broadcast Tuesday evening.
“We are certain that Russia supports, in one way or another, the operations carried out by Hamas,” he declared, adding that its intelligence services had “information” to this effect. . “The current crisis (…) testifies to the fact that Russia really seeks to carry out destabilizing actions everywhere in the world,” according to him.
“Different” tragedies, but both “immense”
With the “tragedy” hitting Israel, the Ukrainian leader also expressed his concern that “international attention risks turning away from Ukraine, and this will have consequences”. “I wouldn’t want to make a comparison. A terrible war is underway in our country. In Israel, many people have lost their loved ones. These tragedies are different, but both are immense,” he said.
Asked about the uncertainties surrounding the continuation of American aid to his country against a backdrop of political crisis in the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped that this support “will continue”. New aid promised to Ukraine was in fact withdrawn from the agreement reached in the American Congress at the end of September to avoid budgetary paralysis, due to opposition from the most intransigent Republicans.
“Ukraine’s destiny depends on the unity of the rest of the world. World unity depends a lot on the unity of the United States,” declared the Ukrainian head of state. “A divided Congress is the certainty of a division on the question of aid to Ukraine.”
Zelensky recognizes “very difficult” counter-offensive
Regarding the continuation of the war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed that the counter-offensive launched by his army in June to try to liberate the occupied territories “continues on several axes, and in all cases, we are moving forward”. “We continue to advance step by step, little by little (…) The initiative is on our side at the moment,” he assured, while recognizing that this campaign is “very difficult” on the ground.
So far, progress has been limited, and Moscow regularly attempts its own attacks to force the Ukrainian army to reconsider its plans. Russian forces launched a major attack on the town of Avdiïvka, in eastern Ukraine, the belligerents said on Tuesday, which the Ukrainian army assured at the end of the day that it had succeeded in repelling.