“I heard these big stories that it would take us months to train our troops to use new tanks. OK, give us a Soviet-era tank,” Zelensky said in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. “We are ready to use any kind of equipment, but it has to be delivered very quickly. And we have the ability to learn how to use new equipment. But it has to be quick.”
Zelenskyy said in the interview from the president’s office in Kyiv that the weapons provided so far by the US and other countries, including the Biden administration’s new $800 million security aid package, have helped his country withstand the Russian invasion to resist. But he said more was needed and his country’s coaches would be able to revamp his forces quickly.
“I’ve heard many times from certain states that didn’t want to give us weapons quickly because our soldiers aren’t technically ready to use them,” he added. “But trainers of such equipment, our trainers, will prepare our troops for combat. For example, if it’s an airplane, pilots can be ready in two weeks. Whether it’s kamikaze drones, artillery, howitzers or (multiple launch missile system) MLRS complexes, we have very smart people for that. We have trained with NATO countries.”
Zelenskyy’s interview with CNN comes as Russia prepares for a new phase of the war after failing to capture Kyiv. Russian forces are preparing to step up their offensive in eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, including Mariupol. Ukrainian forces rejected Russia’s ultimatum to surrender in Mariupol on Sunday. In the interview, Zelenskyy said Ukraine will not cede any eastern territory to Russia and is ready to fight, while warning that the world should be prepared for the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use tactical nuclear weapons.
Zelenskyy swears that the armed forces in Mariupol will not surrender
Zelenskyi told CNN that Ukrainian forces remaining in the besieged city of Mariupol would not surrender to Russia and said he did not believe Russia would allow people to leave Mariupol unscathed.
“They say they are ready to let the entire military go if they surrender. But they will not surrender. They don’t want that and that’s why it’s a complicated and tragic situation because the military doesn’t want to capitulate. And without them, the Russians are not ready to let them go,” Zelenskyy said. “If you can come to an agreement with the Russians to let them go unarmed, but after that they will shoot them. That’s why no one trusts Russia now.”
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine wants to remove the wounded from Mariupol, but Russian forces will not let them.
“We wanted to take away the wounded. We talked about it being a humanitarian mission. Give us back the wounded,” he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to be a mediator and take the wounded, civilians and the military. They don’t let them out because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot them.”
“We wanted to take away the wounded. We have spoken of the fact that this is a humanitarian operation. Give us back the wounded!” he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to be a mediator and take the wounded, civilians and the military. They don’t let them out because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot them.”
The situation in Mariupol is grim. Much of the city was destroyed by Russian shelling. The civilian buildings attacked included a maternity hospital and a theater where up to 1,300 people took refuge.
Although many have fled, an estimated 100,000 people still live in the city and its immediate vicinity, most of which are reportedly under Russian control.
Zelenskyi has urged European countries to shut off Russian oil. When asked about the Russian fuel flowing through pipelines in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said: “Yes, we understand this problem.”
“We understand how much money Russia makes from energy sources. And yes, first of all we call for an oil embargo because they make 1 billion a day from oil. And then we demand a gas embargo,” Zelenskyy said. “And we are fighting together and examining these options. But this is transit. We have a transit agreement. That is why it is necessary to have an agreement between Europe and Russia so that they have an embargo on gas supplies. And then there will be no transit.”
Zelenskyy added that Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian gas pipelines to suggest to European countries that they cannot rely on Ukraine.
“That is what Russia is aiming for. They are trying to act in this way to show that Ukraine is not able to deliver gas safely,” Zelenskyy said. “They’re doing it and they’ve been doing it for a while because they want an opportunity to reopen Nord Stream 2. And we’re watching it all the time. I’ve already spoken to our European partners about this, I don’t want to say which leaders I spoke to. I told them please embargo on gas please. We’re willing to lose money. Money is not the most important thing for us. People are most important.”