KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine urgently needs artillery and air defense from its allies to continue its defense against Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, rejecting the idea of a stalemate in the war. Two years after Russia‘s occupation.
Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, “Ukraine. At the “2024” forum held in Kyiv, Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to wage war on Europe, Poland and the Baltic countries. Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, 31,000 soldiers have been killed in the conflict in Ukraine – according to Zelensky shared on Sunday on the forum.
“If the world does not stop him, he will do it by 2030,” Zelensky said, referring to the near certainty that Putin will secure another presidential term.
When discussing the recent loss of the Ukrainian army the main city is AvdiivkaZelensky avoided blaming the withdrawal directly on ammunition shortages by Ukraine’s main allies, but stressed the importance of rearming and destroying Russia’s air fleet after the country dropped 3,200 bombs on the area.
Zelensky wants his allies to provide Ukraine with an air defense system that it can use to “save civilians, historic centers, hospitals, and also defend them.” [against] Defeat the Russians and this fleet too.”
“Therefore, if the partners are ready to do it – not such a slow way – stop being afraid of Russia,” he said. “If they are ready, we will succeed. Or they will continue, continue, continue [to] attack us.”
Zelensky said he hopes the US wants Ukraine to win the war because there is no alternative but to believe the US will fulfill its aid promises.
“We trust our partners, and I hope that this is not just a word, but in fact it is not about how to weaken the Russians, but how to make us stronger,” Zelensky said.
Read more about this story NBCNews.com and watch “NBC Nightly News” tonight at 6:30 pm ET/5:30 pm CT.
US aid to Ukraine has been suspended in Congress since the end of last year. Senate on February 13 the vast majority passed $95 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declined to bring the Senate package up for debate in the House, saying Congress must pass a tough new border policy before providing more aid to Ukraine.
After the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the White House said to strengthen support for Ukraine. 500 new sanctions Russia on Friday. President Joe Biden made it clear blamed Putin for the death of Navalny.
Friday’s sanctions are the most far-reaching since the invasion began two years ago and target individuals linked to Navalny’s arrest, as well as Russia’s financial sector, defense industrial base, supply networks and sanctions evaders on several continents.
speaking a a delegation of senators Led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in Lviv, Zelenskyy said on Friday that US support was “fundamental to our defense in terms of both the content and the signal that support or non-support for this package sends to the world.”
He added that there is a “direct connection” between the amount of weapons Ukraine can acquire on the battlefield and the “results achieved by our common enemy,” referring to Russia.
“Having enough artillery, having enough long-range capabilities is the main thing for us,” he added on Friday.
In Kharkiv, in the northeast, Russian forces have been stepping up attacks for weeks, trying to push the front line further away from the region’s border with Russia and reducing the number of Ukrainian strikes on Russian border towns.
Russian war bloggers and Western analysts in the southern Zaporizhzhya region also reported renewed fighting in the town of Robotine, where Ukrainian troops are stationed. was released last August at the time it was seen as an important victory that could bring Kiev closer to breaking Russia’s land bridge to occupied Crimea.
In a dramatic shakeup of Ukraine’s military leadership in early February, Zelenskiy replaced his top military general, an army general. Valery Zalujniy cited the need for “urgent changes” after months of reported tension between the two over strategy.
Popular with both the military and the civilian population of Ukraine, Zalujnyi was replaced by Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who previously led the army’s ground forces.
Zalujny has been at odds with Zelensky over his push for mass mobilization of the civilian population to bolster the military ranks.
At a press conference with world leaders on Saturday, Zelensky praised the choice of Ukrainians of “different ages, different professions and different regions” to “unite in military commissariats at the fronts, and then in a trench on the front line.”
“Two years ago, we met an enemy landing force here with fire,” he added, adding that there was only one possible outcome of the war – peace and military victory on Ukraine’s terms.
Zelensky told NBC News he does not want the war to continue for centuries and that Ukraine needs to send large arms from the allies so that it can continue to defend its people.
He hopes that the elections in the United States will not affect his policy on Ukraine.
“I hope that the policy of the country will not change and it will not depend on who will be the president,” said Zelensky.
“If the policy of the United States will change, we must be ready.”