According to the Ukrainian president, a ceasefire in the conflict would give Russia time to rest and resupply.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was not feasible to negotiate a ceasefire with Russia before regaining his country’s lost territories. According to him, the ceasefire would prolong the conflict and give Moscow a chance to rest and resupply.
According to the Ukrainian leader, the Russians “will not use this pause to change their geopolitics or give up their claims to former Soviet republics”.
On the contrary, “the freezing of the conflict with the Russian Federation means a pause that gives the Russian Federation time to rest,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday evening (07/22/2022).
Ukrainian resistance pushed Russian troops out of the capital Kyiv and other parts of the country in March and April. But Moscow already controls much of the Kherson region to the south and Donetsk to the east.
Russia even issues passports to the population of the conquered regions and prescribes the use of rubles in trade. The measures point to a possible annexation of the areas in the coming months.
In an interview with the American newspaper, the President of Ukraine recognized the global cost of the war against Russia and thanked allies. “I am grateful to the people there [países europeus que o apoiam]. It is difficult for them, now they have high prices, they are uneasy because of this war, because of the crises manufactured by the Russians,” said the Ukrainian president. “But it’s a question of values,” he added.
Soaring energy and food prices, coupled with fears of a winter shutdown in Russia’s natural gas supplies, are threatening Europe’s economy and testing countries’ resolve to support Kyiv.
To ease food shortages, Russia and Ukraine on Friday (July 22) signed an agreement to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports.
Zelenskyy is skeptical about the measure. “Diplomatic concessions to Moscow might stabilize markets a bit, but they will only provide temporary respite and boomerang going forward,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader also spoke about USsupplied highmobility artillerymissile systems. While acknowledging that they make a “significant difference,” he said that “they are much smaller than what Ukraine needs to turn the tide.”
“A crucial need is air defense systems that can prevent Russia from firing longrange missiles at peaceful cities hundreds of kilometers from the front lines,” Zelenskyy said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ends 5 months this weekend. In the face of strong Ukrainian resistance, the Russians are slowly advancing. There is no end in sight to the conflict.