Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Tuesday that “no one” can predict the end date of the war against Russia, while assuring that the United States would not “betray” Ukraine despite signs of dwindling Western support.
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The head of state held a press conference to take stock of a difficult year marked by dashed hopes of a major counteroffensive, followed by the collapse of Western support and increasing pressure from Russia.
Given the shortage of soldiers on the front lines, the Ukrainian army has offered to mobilize “450,000 to 500,000 people,” a huge number for this country, he said.
Kiev is trying to combat fatigue in the West over a conflict that began nearly two years ago, but Volodymyr Zelensky has made no predictions about how long the fighting will last.
“I don’t think anyone knows the answer,” not even “our commanders or our Western partners,” he said.
Last week, Ukraine's president made a diplomatic trip to seek more help from Washington and the European Union, with no immediate results.
The American Congress has not yet approved an additional $61 billion, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has vetoed the adoption of a new EU aid package.
But the United States “will not betray Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president stressed, assuring that American promises would be “respected.”
A few months before the American elections, the president nevertheless recognized that a change in the White House, such as the return of former President Donald Trump, could have “very strong effects on the course of the war” if it led to a radical change in the conflict Approach.
Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted to meet with the Hungarian leader to “find solutions” and also announced that Kiev would soon receive “several” Patriot air defense systems, without specifying their number.
“Victory” in the Black Sea
Despite the disappointments, the leader also wanted to acknowledge his army's successes, particularly its “great victory” against Russia in the Black Sea, where Ukrainian naval attacks, often using drones, caused the Russian fleet to retreat.
Although Moscow abandoned an international agreement to transport Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, Kiev was able to reopen a maritime corridor to export its wheat in particular, ignoring bomb threats and Russia's perceived maritime superiority.
In December, Ukraine also managed to start accession negotiations with the European Union, which was of great symbolic importance. Volodymyr Zelensky also held his press conference in front of a screen showing a map of Ukraine and an EU flag.
But military successes were rare at the front.
The much-anticipated counteroffensive did not provide the hoped-for advance and Ukraine now urgently needs ammunition to hold its lines.
In November, the Ukrainian army managed to take positions on the occupied banks of the Dnieper, but it will be difficult to turn this advance into a real breakthrough.
On the contrary: Russia is confidently resuming the attack in the south and east, despite significant losses in the last two years.
Given the soldiers' exhaustion and losses, the military leadership proposed mobilizing “450,000 to 500,000 people,” as Volodymyr Zelensky explained.
He said he had not yet agreed and said he needed “more arguments to support this idea.” More specifically, Mr. Zelensky said he was against any mobilization of women, but indicated that he could support lowering the minimum age for mobilization of men to 25 from the current 27.
Mr. Zelensky also announced that his country would produce “a million drones” for its army in 2024, as these devices would play a crucial role in the war against Russia.
No negotiations
Negotiations with Russia are out of the question for the Ukrainian president anyway; he considers this “not relevant” at this point in time.
His opponent, Russian President Vladimir Putin, also took part in the press conference on Thursday, although in a more favorable position.
Bolstered by Kiev's worries and the West's hesitation, the Russian president promised his citizens a victory in Ukraine.
The Kremlin's ruler, whose re-election in March is being portrayed as a formality, praised the successes of his troops, who “improved their positions” on almost the entire front line.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who faced growing discontent before the war began, also has to deal with a resurgence of political tensions.
Recent polls show that 62% of Ukrainians trust him, compared with 84% a year ago, when the country was still celebrating the liberation of Kherson, the capital of the southern region of the same name.