Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is not prepared to hand over territory to the east of the country to end the war with Russia and is preparing to offer tough resistance in the face of an expected large-scale attack in the east of the country. . “We will not leave our land,” Zelensky told CNN in an exclusive interview broadcast Sunday, adding that the struggle for the eastern part of Donbass could shape the outcome of the war as a whole. The Ukrainian president warned that Russia could try to retake Kyiv if it occupied Donbass. “That is why it is very important for us not to allow them to stand in our place, because this battle… could affect the course of the whole war,” Zelensky said. “Because I do not trust the Russian army and the Russian leadership,” he said. “That is why we understand that the fact that we fought them and they left, and ran away from Kyiv – from the north, from Chernihiv and from that direction – does not mean that if they are able to occupy Donbas, they will not go any further. to Kyiv “.
Request Biden a visit
Zelensky said he also believed US President Joe Biden would visit Ukraine. White House officials have said there are no plans for the 79-year-old president to do so, although they are considering sending an envoy to Kyiv. “I think he will do it [come]”, But Zelenskyy said,” but it is his decision, of course, and for the security situation, it depends. “ “But I think he’s the leader of the United States and that’s why he has to come here to see.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba praised Biden’s support for his country so far in an interview with CBS on Sunday, saying that a visit by the US leader “would be an important message of support”. “A personal meeting between the two presidents could also pave the way for new supplies and US weapons in Ukraine and also for discussions on a possible political settlement to this conflict,” he added.
Zelensky invites Macron
Zelensky also said he had invited French President Emmanuel Macron to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence of “genocide” committed by Russian forces. “I just told him I wanted him to understand that this is not a war, but nothing but genocide. I invited him to come when he had the chance. He will come to see and I am sure he will understand “. Macron refrained from using the term “genocide” to describe the atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine – which attributed Paris’ reluctance to influence opportunities for diplomatic engagement with Moscow. The Ukrainian president had earlier said that Macron’s reluctance to use the term Biden used to describe the war in Ukraine was “very painful for us”. Macron is in the middle of an election campaign, with the second round to vote against far-right politician Marin Lepen for next Sunday. He told France Bleu on Thursday that it was not useful for Ukraine to “enter into a verbal escalation without drawing any conclusions”. “The word ‘genocide’ makes sense,” Macron said, “and it should be legal, not political.” Several European leaders have visited Kyiv to show support for their countries, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. After his visit to Bucha, Johnson said the evidence of atrocities committed against civilians by Russian troops in recent weeks “does not seem far-fetched to me.”
