In his interview with CBS News aired on 28 March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined the Kremlin’s next targets, if Ukraine loses to Russia.
Asked if Ukraine could win with Russian President Vladimir Putin still in power, Zelenskyy said it would be a challenge, but village by village, winning the war would weaken Putin at home.
However, the Ukrainian President warned, if Ukraine does lose, Putin won’t stop there:
“For him, we are a satellite of [the] Russian Federation. At the moment, it’s us, then Kazakhstan, then [the] Baltic states, then Poland, then Germany. At least half of Germany,” he said.
Zelenskyy concerned about Russian offensive, expected around the end of May or June – CBS News
Zelenskyy stated that Putin is resolute in his aim to restore the former Soviet Union to its imperial glory, including its geographical borders.
“Even tomorrow, the missiles can fly to any state,” he told CBS News. “This aggression, and Putin’s army, can come to Europe, and then the citizens of the United States, the soldiers of the United States, will have to protect Europe because they’re the NATO members.”
Ukraine stabilized the front but prepares for Russian offensive amid shell shortage
President Zelenskyy highlighted Ukraine’s resilience in holding off Russian advances during winter, despite facing a significant deficit in artillery ammunition and weapons.
“We have stabilized the situation. It is better than it used to be two or three months ago when we had a big deficit of artillery ammunition, different kinds of weapons,” he said.
Despite managing to keep Russian forces at bay, Zelenskyy acknowledged the need for preparation against a major Russian offensive expected in the coming months, stressing that Ukraine is running out of ammunition and is not prepared to defend against another major Russian offensive expected in the coming months. The President shared that Ukraine is preparing for potential future attacks as it builds new fortifications.
In the ongoing artillery war of attrition, President Zelenskyy noted that Russia has more firepower and a longer reach, putting Ukraine at a disadvantage.
“In Bakhmut and Avdivka and Lysychansk and Soledar and so on, it was really hard to fight the adversary, whose artillery shell can fire 20-plus kilometers, and [our] artillery shell is 20-minus,” he told CBS News.
Ukraine needs immediate help as US aid is stalled
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the urgent need for assistance from partners to prepare for the Russian offensive expected around the end of May or in June.
“And before that, we not only need to prepare, we not only need to stabilize the situation, because the partners are sometimes really happy that we have stabilized the situation,” Zelenskyy said of Ukraine’s allies. “No, I say we need help now.”
The Ukrainian leader expressed concern over stalled US aid due to Congressional gridlock and the shift in global attention away from Ukraine’s struggle due to the war in Gaza.
Zelenskyy to Speaker Johnson: Swift passage of aid for Ukraine by Congress is critical
Zelenskyy believes that for lasting peace, there needs to be a change in Russian leadership, rather than just a change in Putin’s opinion.
“The 80s and then the end of the 90s – he will never forgive that,” Zelenskyy said, suggesting his Russian counterpart bears a lingering grudge over the collapse of the pre-Cold War world. “He believes in that. We don’t need to change his opinion. We need to change him. We need to replace him.”
Read also:
- Polish PM Tusk: Now is most critical moment since WWII end, next two years will decide everything
- Ukrainian MP urges UK to use frozen Russian assets to support war effort
- Scholz rejects Taurus missile deployment due to escalation fears
- Zelenskyy concerned about Russian offensive, expected around the end of May or June – CBS News
