With the Russian military build-up complete preparations for the attack on the east, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that his country is not ready to give up any territory to end the war with Russia, calling on the world to prepare for Moscow’s use of nuclear weapons.
In an interview with CNN, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian army is ready to fight Russian forces in the Donbass region, noting that this battle may affect the region and the entire course of the war.
Zelensky explained that if Russia manages to seize Donbass, there is no guarantee that it will not again attempt to seize the capital, Kyiv.
Russia began withdrawing its forces from near Kyiv in late March, after its forces failed to control it, and sent some of its forces north to Belarus, and to the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
“That is why it is so important that we do not allow them to stand in our land because this battle can affect the entire course of the war,” Zelensky said, in the interview given from his office in Kyiv.
“I do not trust the Russian army and the Russian leadership, which is why we understand that after they fled from Kyiv after we resisted them, and later managed to capture Donbass, this does not mean that they will not return to attack Kyiv again,” he added.
During the 7 weeks of the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian army achieved success in resisting the invading forces, which came as a surprise to the Kremlin, which planned a quick attack and a decisive victory.
Zelensky warned that the world should be prepared for the possibility of Putin using a tactical nuclear weapon “because he does not value the lives of Ukrainians.”
During the interview, Zelensky also expressed the horror that his country is witnessing and the losses it witnessed, and the urgent assistance that his army still needs to repel the upcoming Russian attack in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.
While US President Joe Biden described the killing of civilians by Russian forces as “genocide” last week, Zelensky welcomed Biden’s position, saying, “Look at what happened in Bucha. It’s clearly not even a war, it’s genocide. They killed civilians, they shot people in the streets. Some of them were riding a bicycle, riding a bus or just walking in the street (…).”
Zelensky invited French President Emmanuel Macron to visit Kyiv, to see the atrocities committed up close, after the latter said, in response to Biden’s comments on the genocide, that he “did not believe that raising such rhetoric would be constructive.”
“I think he wants to take some steps to ensure Russia is engaged in the dialogue,” Zelensky said. “I just told him I want him to understand that this is not a war, this is genocide, and I invite him to come when he has the opportunity. I’m sure he will.”
Zelensky also expressed his desire for Biden to visit Ukraine.
He noted that the $800 million in additional funding Biden approved last week to provide new and more advanced weapons to Ukraine “was helpful,” but stressed that “more is needed.”
“Of course, we need more,” Zelensky said. “But I’m glad he’s helping us now.”
Zelensky stressed that the most important factor is the speed of delivery of the necessary weapons into the hands of the Ukrainian forces.
He rejected concerns raised by the United States and other countries about the failure of Ukrainian soldiers to be trained in the use of some of the weapons requested by his country.
“We are ready to use any kind of equipment, and we have the ability to learn how to use the new equipment,” Zelensky said. “But it has to be delivered very quickly.”
On the pending negotiations, Zelensky said he is willing to engage Russia diplomatically to try to end the war, but Russia’s attacks on Ukrainians make it difficult to do so.