President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, recently sat down for an interview with the US public broadcaster PBS NewsHour.
He delved into the pressing challenges facing Ukraine as it seeks to bolster its defense capabilities, underscored the pivotal role of US assistance, outlined the Ukrainian peace initiative, and offered insights into the collaborative efforts taken by the US and its allies in safeguarding Israel’s skies against the widescale missile and drone attack by Iran.
These discussions unfolded against the backdrop of Ukraine's prolonged and fruitless appeals to its allies for financial support to fortify its air defense systems over the course of several months.
The Kyiv Post has summarized the key points from this discussion, which can be viewed on the broadcaster's YouTube channel.
Ukraine Defends Itself, while Israel Receives Allied Support
“This truly demonstrates allies in action, not just on paper but in the skies and on the ground. It sends an important signal to everyone about how allies aided Israel in repelling the latest Iranian attack,” Zelensky said.
“Ukraine defends its skies independently. While we have allies providing us with certain equipment, we still face shortages. However, the crucial distinction is that Israel didn't defend itself alone; it received allied assistance. Without this support, there would have been significant bloodshed and casualties.”
Without US Assistance, Ukraine Stands Little Chance of Winning
Overnight Russian Drone Strike Damaged Heating Infrastructure in Mykolaiv
“Without this aid, particularly from the US, which is currently delayed in Congress, our chances of victory are slim. We must be significantly stronger than our adversaries. Presently, the artillery shell ratio between us and the enemy is 1 to 10. Can we effectively resist this? No. With such statistics, we risk being pushed back daily,” Zelensky said.
“If we aim to fully protect our territory, we need parity in weaponry - 10 to 10. There are specific weapons necessary for advancing and defending our skies, and our partners have the technical means required.
On Congressional Speaker Johnson's Statements Regarding US Aid
“This is not solely a security matter but pure politics - a disgrace to the world and to democracy. If Congress chooses to divide aid based on political considerations, particularly considering recent events affecting both Israel and Ukraine, it simply reflects the politics of the US election,” Zelensky said.
“Now, the world is populistically advocating for assistance solely to Israel, disregarding the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. This indifference implies that the daily loss of lives in Ukraine holds no significance, whereas political ratings do. They forget that the dead don't have ratings.”
“If Ukraine fails, there will be war in other NATO countries,” Zelensky warned.
The Ukrainian Peace Formula
“We've proposed a peace formula to the world, with an initial step being a peace summit scheduled for June in Switzerland. There, we will develop a plan to end the war. It's crucial that this summit excludes Russia to prevent its interference. Currently, Russia aims to obliterate any chance of negotiation. Thus, it falls upon Ukraine to take the initiative towards a just peace,” Zelensky said.
Putin's Intentions Towards Ukraine
“Putin seeks victory, not negotiations. His objective is to dismantle Ukraine entirely, claiming it must either become part of Russia or face destruction. We hear concerns from the West about potential repercussions if Russia loses. Yet do they not fear the daily loss of lives here?” Zelensky asked.
“They worry about impending dangers, a potential migration crisis, and the strengthening of China. What about the nuclear weapons on Russian territory? Such messages only add to the disgrace I've mentioned.”
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Comments (8)
Ukraine is an aggressive beggar who begs and threatens.
So, Ukrainians, you have no allies!
You only have donors. Nobody cares about you.
We will fight until the last living Ukrainian!
So negotiate peace.
“We know that the world is watching us to see how we react,” Mr. Johnson told reporters. “We have terrorists and tyrants and terrible leaders around the world like Putin and Xi and in Iran, and they’re watching to see if America will stand up for its allies and our interests around the globe — and we will.”
If Ukraine’s allies had coordinated a plan to provide sufficient weapons for Ukraine to get stuck in to the fight, but then to leave them high and dry to face a slow and painful demise, it would not look so different from the view today. Specifically so in the case of USA, but all allies share some blame for faint action. “With you all the way…”. “For as long as it takes” has resulted in insufficient artillery shells, no planes yet, a lack of missile defence and expressions of “don’t attack Russian oil facilities”. The word ‘pathetic’ isn’t anywhere near strong enough. Where are the courageous hearts among the allied leaders? All dead?
He is correct. Western ‘concerns’ about what will happen to Russia are completely unfounded. Let the Russian Federation fall apart. The EU, US and China are perfectly capable of managing the aftermath.
Isn't Ukraine producing longer range of Neptune missiles and more advaced Tochka missiles as upgraded version of the Soviet times ?
Hope fairness and goodness be eternal and things get worse sometimes before getting better
no chance of winning period.
@Peace talks, Some analysts said Kiev would fall within a few weeks after the invasion started; Ukrainians have defended their country against a larger military. "Peace" under Russian rule means gulags and repression and more human rights abuses for Ukrainians. The Ukrainians need some help. We should help them.
The West does not want a quick collapse of Russian federation as China might expand either its territories in Siberian Russia today or invest economically in Russian territories adjacent to its lands especially in sparsely populated but rich with natural resources in remote eastern Siberia or far East...
The West does not want to spend a lot of its wealth and ammunition in Ukrainian Russo polarization but thryveant to conserve and hoard wealth and ammunition for possible Chinese attack on Taiwan ... China is developing and evolving and this is why some global international companies are relocating from China to India , Thailand or Vietnam ...The West encourages reallocation of financial imvestments and technological progress in other countries to counterbalance the Chinese rise and expansion...
@Peace talks, Countries look for the long term .
Some say that the west is encouraging many large corporation to relocate from China to other Asian countries like India .Why ? Because China is nowadays allied to Russia and reducing foreign direct investment in Chinese areas could help to limit its support to Russia and protect themselves from Chinese possible rise or expansion ...
Zelensky and the Eastern European leaders are right in their assessment of the Russian Federation and its ambitions. In the West, though, we have more important things to worry about. People are having hurt feelings because they have been mis-gendered.