As troops struggle to fend off heavy Russian advances across the front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismisses concerns of nuclear escalation and suggests in Ukrainian that NATO aircraft shoot down Russian missiles. He called on the United States and Europe to redouble their efforts to defend their countries. airspace.
Zelenskiy also said he had asked U.S. officials to allow Ukraine to fire U.S. missiles and other weapons at military targets inside Russia. The United States continues to oppose these tactics. He argued that failing to do so would give Russia a “huge advantage” in a cross-border war, an advantage it was using to attack northeastern Ukraine.
His comments, made in an interview with the New York Times in central Kiev on Monday, were one of the strongest appeals yet for the United States and its NATO allies for more support. For more than 50 minutes in a flamboyant House chamber with a chimera in the Oval Office, he spoke with a mixture of frustration and bewilderment at the West's unwillingness to take bolder steps to ensure Ukraine's victory. Ta.
Zelenskiy has been lobbying Western countries for years, especially for more weapons. But his plea this week came at a critical time for Ukraine's war effort, with Ukrainian troops withdrawing and new U.S. weapons not yet arriving in sufficient quantities. Analysts say this is the first time since the early days of the war that Ukraine has faced such a significant military challenge.
This is also a crucial time for Ukrainian politics. Zelenskiy gave the speech on the final day of his five-year term as president. Elections scheduled for March were suspended because of the war, and he remains president under martial law, meaning his term could last as long as the war continues.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr. Zelensky, 46, spoke not only about the tearing sadness of visiting mass graves and comforting the families of fallen soldiers, but also about his own personal journey and what he can gain in a short amount of time. He also talked about “charging.” Spending time with his kids. He said he wanted to read more books, but he fell asleep easily at night and couldn't go far.
His most exciting moment was checking off a checklist of actions allies should take to support Ukraine. He argued that NATO should shoot down Russian missiles flying over Ukraine. He said the aircraft did not violate Ukrainian airspace, it was a purely defensive tactic and there was no risk of direct combat with Russian forces.
“So my question is, what's the problem? Why can't you shoot them down? Is it defensive? Yes. Is it an attack on Russia? No, you can shoot down Russian planes and attack Russia. No. So what's wrong with involving NATO countries in a war? There's no such problem.
“Shoot down anything over Ukraine,” he added. “And give us weapons to use against Russian troops on our borders.”
Such direct NATO involvement could provoke Russian retaliation, analysts say, but is being resisted in Western capitals.
Zelenskiy also called on allies to buy more F-16 jets and install the Patriot air defense system.
“Can we get seven?” He said Ukraine needs more Patriot systems, but would compromise on that number to protect areas key to the country's economy and energy sector. He suggested a decision could be made when NATO leaders gather for a summit in Washington in July.
“Do you think this is going too far at the NATO Memorial Summit in Washington?” he asked. “For countries fighting for freedom and democracy around the world today?”
In response to a question about possible ceasefire negotiations, he avoided direct talks with Russia and called for diplomacy that brings together countries that support Ukraine's position toward a final peace agreement. These include Ukraine's food exports to developing countries, prisoner exchanges, security measures at Russian-occupied nuclear power plants in southern Ukraine, and the Ukrainian children he says were abducted and taken to Russia. It will begin with a plan to secure their return.
He said he hoped dozens of countries would support those efforts when they meet in Switzerland in mid-June for a “peace summit,” and again pressed for Ukraine's plans to join NATO.
He also welcomed recent proposals by some allies for NATO to send troops to train and support Ukrainian forces in Ukraine, but added: “I don't know beyond words.”
More immediately, he said, the ability to attack military targets inside Russia using Western-provided weapons is essential to Ukraine's success.
He believes that only by using these weapons to destroy Russian logistics hubs and Russian aircraft on Russian territory can Ukraine be effectively defended against the recent attacks in the northeast that threaten Ukraine's second city, Kharkov. He said he could.
“How do we respond when they attack our cities?” He said Ukraine could not see Russian troops massing across the border before attacking. However, he pointed out that he did not have the strength to attack.
“They are acting calmly,” he added, adding that they “understand that our partners have not given us permission” to use weapons in retaliation.
Zelenskiy said fears of nuclear war, the main reason for Western hesitation, were exaggerated and said Russian President Vladimir V. Putin would refrain from using nuclear weapons out of self-preservation.
“He may be irrational, but he loves his life,” Zelenskiy said.
He also suggested there was another reason for Western hesitation. That is, some countries are trying to maintain trade and diplomatic relations with Russia. “Everyone is leaving the door a little bit open,” he said.
It has been a bumpy ride for Zelenskiy. He was elected in 2019 on a platform of peace talks with Russia, which critics said was naive. He also promised to crack down on corruption and promised only one term of five years.
Zelenskiy, who was a TV personality before taking office, has alternated between diplomacy to shore up support for Ukraine and recommendations for soldiers and civilians in the face of a deteriorating military outlook. Although he has little time to see his son and daughter, ages 11 and 19, he said the time he spends with them is “the happiest moment.”
“For example, I ask my son what's going on,” he said. “He says they're starting to learn Spanish. I'm interested in that. I don't understand Spanish, but to be honest, whatever he's doing, I'm interested in him.” I'm only interested in the time I can spend with you.”
“These are the moments that recharge and energize you. These are the moments that make you the happiest. Those are the moments when you can relax.”
He also said he works out in the morning to recharge his batteries and reads in the evening: “To be honest, I'll read two, three, four, max 10 pages of any kind of fiction at night and then I fall asleep,” he said.
When asked what he would do after the war, he thought for a moment, appearing to ponder the prospect of a Russian victory. “The situation is different after the war and after the victory,” he said. “It might be different. I think my plans depend on it.
“So I would like to believe in Ukraine's victory. It will not be easy, it will be very difficult. It is clear that it will be very difficult. I think I want to do.”
Zelenskiy came to a critical juncture in his presidency after Russia's failed decapitation attack on Ukrainian leaders in Kiev early in the war. He said the attack also included a plot to capture or assassinate himself.
Nearly 17 months later, it's unclear when and how his presidency will end. Martial law in Ukraine is periodically renewed by parliamentary votes and prohibits presidential elections from being held. Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party holds a majority of seats, but party discipline has reportedly broken down in recent months, and Zelenskiy has struggled to pass legislation.
After the initial shock of the invasion, 90% of Ukrainians said they trusted Zelenskiy, but by February that number had fallen to 60%, according to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll. .
Competitive national elections have been a success in Ukrainian politics since independence in 1991, fulfilling the promise of democratic transitions that have failed in Russia, Belarus, and some countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. .
International election experts recommend suspending voting during wartime, given that millions of Ukrainians cannot vote while serving in occupied territories, as refugees in Europe, or as soldiers on the front lines. We support Ukraine's decision.
Asked to assess the health of Ukraine's democracy, he said: “Ukraine does not have to prove anything about democracy to anyone.”
“Because Ukraine and its people have proven it through their war,” he continued, “not with words, not with unnecessary rhetoric, not just with rhetorical messages floating in the air. They have proven it with their lives.”
bill brink and Philip P. Pan I contributed a report from Kiev.
