2024-02-26 00:43:19
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Russian forces are preparing to launch a new attack on Ukrainian territory in late May or the summer, but stressed that Kiev has its clear plan for war.
Zelensky added in a press conference that it is important for Kiev and its Western allies to remain united, and he predicted two difficult months to come, followed by a new Russian attack.
He continued, “Russia will prepare to launch a counterattack at the beginning of the summer or the end of May. If they are able to do so. They will prepare.”
Zelensky said, “We will prepare for their attack. I believe that their attack, which began on October 8, did not yield any results. For our part, we will prepare our plan.”
Ukraine marked the second anniversary of the large-scale Russian invasion on Saturday, with Russian forces advancing along the sprawling front line and problems accumulating, from a lack of artillery shells to a lack of new manpower.
Zelensky said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since February 2022, in the first official disclosure of the number of military deaths in a year.
He added that he is certain that the US Congress will agree to send a large batch of military and financial aid to his country, and that Ukraine needs this decision within a month.
He stated that the Ukrainian war effort depends on Western support, explaining that the European Union has provided only 30 percent of the million ammunition shells it promised.
This month, Russia achieved its largest gains on the battlefield since May 2023 when it seized the town of Avdiivka, from which Ukrainian forces withdrew so as not to be besieged.
“They know that we need support within a month,” Zelensky said, adding that he had a “positive feeling” about Kiev’s partners sending long-range missiles there.
There is a plan
Zelensky said Kiev has a clear plan to confront Russian forces, but he would not reveal details.
Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack last year but were unable to penetrate Russian defensive lines.
Zelensky said the change of the once popular army chief earlier this month was part of a military strategy that would remain secret.
Zelensky had previously said that Kiev’s plans for a counterattack last year ended up “on a desk in the Kremlin” before the operation began, without revealing how this happened.
Zelensky said that his country hopes to hold a summit in Switzerland during the spring during which it will discuss its vision for peace with its allies, which will then be presented to Russia.
“I hope this will happen in the spring. We must not lose this diplomatic initiative,” he added.
War losses
Zelensky said rotating troops would be very important for the war effort, and stressed that Ukraine needed to better equip reserve forces.
He added, “31,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in this war. Not 300,000, not 150,000… (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is telling lies… But nevertheless, this is a big loss for us.”
Zelensky refused to reveal the number of wounded in the war, noting that this would support Russian military planning operations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry immediately rejected Ukrainian estimates of military losses as incorrect.
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