Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in comments made public on Thursday evening. April 1, said he hopes – but is not sure – America will move to supply Ukraine heavy ground weapons and combat aircraft, and that he expects the war with Russia to continue for some time.
In comments aired by the US television channel FOX, Zelensky said official Kyiv has heard clearly Washington’s promises to provide all military support necessary so that Ukraine might push Russian Federation (RF) forces out of the country.
But, Zelensky said, words are not yet action, and without new supplies of tanks, artillery, infantry fighting vehicles, long-range air defense systems, bomber jets and fighter jets, Ukraine will be doomed to grinding war of attrition against Russia it cannot win.
The Ukrainian people hope the United States will live up to its words, and not just exploit Ukraine’s fight for freedom, as long-term means to weaken the Kremlin, Zelensky said.
“But if this process (attrition warfare) continues, people will start asking questions: is this (American commitment) true at all? Maybe there is a game behind it? I don’t want to believe that our partners are playing games with us,” Zelensky said. “I don’t know if (US President Joe) Biden is afraid of (RF President Vladimir) Putin. I want to believe that he is not, because he (Biden) is the leader of a great nation.”
According to White House press releases, the Biden administration has sent Ukraine more than $2 billion in military assistance. The vast majority of it was anti-tank missiles, light anti-aircraft missiles, body armor and helmets, small arms, anti-artillery radars, and automobiles. There were no heavy weapons.
The Ukrainian leader repeated past declarations that, although ceasefire talks are in progress, cession of land or future presence of RF troops on Ukrainian territory are absolutely unacceptable to Kyiv. No matter the level of international assistance, Zelensky said, Ukraine will fight rather than yield on these red lines.
“We are not going to negotiate on our territory. The issue of territorial integrity and sovereignty is not up for discussion,” he said.
Zelensky in a nighttime public address to Ukrainians warned that, despite recent Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF) successes in the Kyiv sector, RF forces are continuing to bombard Ukrainian cities with artillery and by aircraft, and attack with powerful ground forces. He said he is confident Ukraine will eventually defeat Russia but cautioned the fighting could continue for a long time, and that victory is distant.
“There are difficult battles ahead. We still can’t think that we have already passed all the tests,” Zelensky said. “We all want to win. But when it happens – everyone will see it. Everyone will feel that peace is coming.”
Iron-clad guarantees of future Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity against future RF aggression are a top priority for Kyiv’s negotiators in the ceasefire talks. Zelensky told FOX Ukraine is in talks with a group of militarily-capable nations to possibly provide the guarantees, including the US, Great Britain, Germany, France and Turkey.
