(Dan Tri) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out Russia’s biggest advantage, while admitting there was a disagreement with the West about how the war could end.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: AFP).
President Zelensky warned on May 17 that Russia could increase attacks but said Kiev would only accept a `fair peace` solution with Kiev despite the West calling for a quick solution to the war.
In an interview with AFP, Mr. Zelensky reiterated his call for allies to continue sending air defense systems and fighters to Ukraine.
He admitted that the Ukrainian army encountered difficulties in personnel and fighting spirit.
Mr. Zelensky has rejected France’s call for a ceasefire at the time of the Summer Olympics in Paris.
He acknowledged that Ukraine and the West share similar values, but there are differences of opinion, especially regarding how the war could end.
`Everyone wants to find some model to end the war faster,` he said when asked about the possibility of a conflict-ending scenario like the one that established the boundary dividing the peninsula in two.
`We want the fighting to end with a fair peace for us while the West wants the war to end as soon as possible. And for them, that is a just peaceful solution,` he said, but no
The president called on China and other countries to attend the peace summit to be held in Switzerland in June.
In the interview, Mr. Zelensky said that Ukraine only has `about 25% of the weapons we need` to protect the country in terms of air defense.
He also said Ukraine needs `120 to 130` F-16 fighter jets or other advanced aircraft `to be on par` with Russia.
He criticized restrictions on attacking Russian territory with Western weapons, arguing that this was Moscow’s biggest advantage.
`They can fire any kind of weapon from their territory into our territory. This is the biggest advantage that Russia has. We cannot do anything with their system, which
Mr. Zelensky also said the Ukrainian army needs more troops to improve the morale of the force.
`We need to deploy reserve forces… A large number (of brigades) lack manpower. Many Ukrainian soldiers have been fighting for more than two years without a chance to demobilize,` he said.
He said Ukraine needs to increase recruitment so that fighting soldiers can be rotated, which will improve their morale.
