Zelensky said in an interview with the president’s office in Kyiv that weapons provided to date by the United States and other countries, including the Biden administration’s new $ 800 million security bailout, have helped his country resist Russian invasion. But he said he would need more and his country’s trainers would be able to quickly upgrade his forces. “I have heard many times from some countries that they did not want to give us weapons quickly because our soldiers are not technically ready to use them,” he added. “But the instructors of such equipment, our instructors, will prepare our troops to fight on them. If it is an airplane, for example, the pilots may be ready in two weeks. Whether they are Kamikaze drones, artillery, Howitzer, or ( “We have very smart people for them. We had training with NATO countries.” Zelensky’s interview with CNN comes as Russia prepares for a new phase in the war after failing to occupy Kyiv. Russian forces are preparing to intensify their offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine, including Mariupol. Ukrainian forces rejected Russia’s ultimatum to surrender to Mariupol on Sunday. In the interview, Zelensky said Ukraine would not cede territory east to Russia and was ready to fight, and warned that people should be prepared for the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin using regular nuclear weapons.
Zelensky vows that the forces in Mariupol will not surrender
Zelensky told CNN that Ukrainian forces remaining in the besieged city of Mariupol would not surrender to Russia, saying he did not believe Russia would allow people to leave Mariupol safely. “They say they are ready to let all the soldiers go if they surrender. But they are not going to surrender. They do not want to do that and that is why it is a complicated and tragic situation because the armies do not want. And without that, the Russians are not ready. “Let them go,” said Zelensky. “When you can make a deal with the Russians, let them go unarmed, but then all they have to do is shoot and kill them. That is why no one trusts Russia now. “ Zelensky added that Ukraine wanted to take the wounded from Mariupol, but Russian forces did not let them. “We wanted to get the wounded. We said it was a humanitarian mission. Give us the wounded back,” he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to mediate and take the wounded, the civilians and the army. They are not allowed to leave because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot and kill them.” “We wanted to take the wounded. We said it was a humanitarian mission. Give us the wounded back!” he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to mediate and take the wounded, the civilians and the army. They are not allowed to leave because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot and kill them.” The situation in Mariupol is bleak. Much of the city has been destroyed by Russian bombing. The civilian structures targeted included a maternity hospital and a theater where up to 1,300 people sought refuge. Although many have fled, about 100,000 people remain in the city and its environs, which are reportedly largely under Russian control. Zelensky pressured European countries to cut off Russian oil. Asked about Russian fuel flowing through pipelines to Ukraine, Zelensky said: “Yes, we understand this problem.” “We understand how much money Russia is making on energy carriers. And yes, first of all, we are asking for an oil embargo because they are pumping 1 billion a day into oil. And then we are asking for a gas embargo,” Zelensky said. “And we are fighting together and considering 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.” . Zelensky added that Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian gas pipelines to try to signal to European countries that they can not rely on Ukraine. “This is what Russia is aiming at. They are trying to act in this way to show that Ukraine is not in a position to supply gas safely,” Zelensky said. “They have been doing it for a while now because they want a chance to reopen Nord Stream 2. And we are constantly watching it. I have already spoken to our European partners, I do not want to say which leaders I spoke to. I told them, please put an embargo on gas, we are ready to lose money. Money is not the most important thing to us. “People are the most important thing.”
