Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged US President Joe Biden to visit Ukraine and reiterated his unwillingness to cede territories in the east of the country to end the war with Russia, during a lengthy interview with CNN aired on Sunday.
“I think he will,” Zelenskyi said in English when asked if he knew of any plans for the US President’s visit. “But of course it’s his decision, and [it] depends of course on the security situation. But I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he should come here to see it.”
Biden told reporters on Thursday that the US would soon decide whether to send a senior official to Ukraine in a show of support, but sources suggested to Reuters that the administration is considering Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin or Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Zelenskyy’s comments came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv last weekend.
On Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in an interview that Biden had no plans to visit.
Zelenskyy, speaking on Friday in an interview with the news channel aired on Sunday, drew attention to the looming Russian offensive in the Donbass region in the east of the country, which is expected to become a brutal and crucial phase of the war after Russia withdraws from it areas around Kyiv in the north.
Zelenskyi said Ukraine will not give up any territory in the east of the country to end the war with Russia. “Therefore, it is very important that we do not allow them to assert themselves, because this battle … can affect the course of the entire war,” Zelenskyy said. There are around 40,000 Ukrainian troops in the Donbass region and he acknowledged the likelihood of multiple battles spanning an unknown period.
“I don’t trust the Russian military and Russian leadership…the fact that we fought them off and they left and they fled from Kyiv, from the north, from Chernihiv…it doesn’t mean they can conquer Donbass, they will not come any further to Kyiv,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyi welcomed the $800 million in additional military aid approved by the White House last week, but urged the US and its allies for more weapons and faster delivery.
“Of course we need more. But I’m glad he’s helping us now,” Zelenskyy told CNN. “I feel like we’re having a cleaner dialogue right now. It was dialogue that had some twists and turns. And not just talk. It was very, very difficult because there aren’t many countries that really helped us.”
The Ukrainian President also reiterated his fears that Russian forces could deploy chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
“Not just me, the whole world, all countries need to be concerned… because it is [use of nuclear weapons] cannot be real information, but it can be truth.”
“Chemical weapons… they could do it, for them people’s lives, nothing. That’s why,” said Zelenskyy. “We should think, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, but be ready. But this is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine, but for the whole world, I think.”
Zelenskyj estimated the number of Ukrainian military deaths at 2,500 to 3,000, plus around 10,000 others were injured so far, “and it is difficult to say how many will survive”.
He claimed Russia lost up to 20,000 soldiers, which has not been confirmed.