At the annual meeting of the Yalta European Strategy, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy made important statements regarding the Kursk operation, the country’s defense needs, and the strategic plan for victory. About this reported on the official Telegram channel of the head of state.
The main statements of the Ukrainian president
About the need for long-range weapons for Ukraine
After a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Zelensky emphasized the importance of providing Ukraine with long-range weapons.
“I hope that after our conversation there can be no more unanswered questions about why Ukraine needs sufficient long-range. I want to emphasize: enough. Not enough to simply say that there is a solution. Long-range enough to change the course of the war and force Russia to seek peace“, he said.
He expressed hope for strong support from international partners.
About the lack of missiles for air defense
Zelenskyi noted that Ukraine has more than four Patriot systems, but in reality, the resources for air defense are not enough.
“Patriot, NASAMS, IRIS-T systems work, but they need missiles. Our anti-aircraft gunners sometimes use only one missile, hoping that it will be enough, because there are not enough missiles.”, he added.
About the victory plan
The President of Ukraine announced that the USA will present a “frank” and “comprehensible” victory plan, which will contain a minimum number of points.
“There are not many points there. And each point will depend on Biden’s decision. That’s why I think it will help. I cannot give a 100 percent guarantee that this will stop Putin, but it will make Ukraine stronger. And this will push Putin to think about how to end the war.” he said.
About the meeting with Biden
In September, Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden, where they will discuss a peace plan for Ukraine.
“We are scheduled to meet with President Biden this month. I will present him with a victory plan – a system of interconnected solutions that will give Ukraine sufficient strength to put this war on the path to peace.”, – said Zelensky.
About the fear of NATO countries to shoot down “Shahedy”
Zelensky noted that Western partners are afraid to even discuss the issue of shooting down the Russian Shaheds.
“And they are afraid to even say: ‘We are working on it.’ Even these words are feared. So far, only Belarus has been distinguished by the downing of the Russian “Shaheeds”. I didn’t think it would be in this format. I think it’s just humiliating for a strong democratic world.” – noted Zelensky.
About the situation in the Kursk direction
The President reported that the Russians are trying to regain control over the territories of the Kursk region, but they have not had any serious success.
“Regarding the Kursk direction. The Russians began their rapid offensive there. They want to employ about 60-70 thousand people there. We know about 40 thousand people there. They wanted quick breakthroughs and de-occupation. It is pleasant that now not only we, but also they are talking about the deoccupation of their territory“, the president emphasized.
He also added that the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region had the effect of reducing the use of Russian artillery in Donbas.
