Ukraine needs more military aid from its allies to face an expected large-scale Russian offensive, which could take place at the end of May or in June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview with the US CBS News, reports The Kyiv Independent.
Volodymyr ZelenskyPhoto: Ukraine Presidency via Bestimage / Bestimage / Profimedia
As Kiev finds itself in an increasingly dangerous situation in the war, Ukrainian military officials have warned that Moscow could be preparing for another major assault by amassing a force of 100,000 troops.
Zelenskiy explained that the situation on the battlefield has stabilized compared to previous months.
“We have stabilized the situation. It’s better than it was two or three months ago, when we had a big shortage of artillery ammunition, of various types of weapons,” said Volodymyr Zelensky in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Thursday and recorded at an unspecified location in eastern Ukraine, near the border with Russia.
“We certainly didn’t see the big, huge counteroffensive announced by Russia. … They weren’t successful.”
Russian forces made some progress on the eastern front in February, capturing Avdiivka, a key front-line town, and several nearby villages. A week ago, on March 21, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Sîrski, stated that the situation in the east had been stabilized.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stressed that Ukrainian troops need more weapons to prepare for a possible major offensive by the Russian occupiers.
“And before that, we don’t just have to prepare, we don’t just have to stabilize the situation, because the partners are sometimes very happy that we have stabilized the situation… No, I’m saying we need help now,” insisted the leader of in Kiev.
In particular, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine needs more Patriot air defense systems and artillery. Kiev has faced problems with ammunition supplies as $60 billion in US aid remains stalled in Congress.
Russia has also recently stepped up its missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, further testing Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
Zelensky warned that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s ambitions are not limited to Ukraine.
“At the moment it is us, but then it will be Kazakhstan, then the Baltic states, then Poland, then Germany. At least half of Germany,” he said. “This aggression – and Putin’s army – can reach Europe, and then the citizens of the United States, the soldiers of the United States, will have to protect Europe, because they are members of NATO.”
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