Ukraine is not losing the war, says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gives an interview in Kiev GENYA SAVILOV / AFP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this Friday (20) that his country is not losing the war against Russia, that Kiev has retaken hundreds of square kilometers in a new counteroffensive and that Europe should deploy troops directly on the front line in the event of a ceasefire. The Ukrainian leader spoke to AFP in an exclusive interview days before the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion, with the outcome of the war still open. As fighting persists, US President Donald Trump is putting pressure on Ukraine to accept a deal with Russia that requires the annexation of territories to end the conflict. Kiev refuses to discuss the possibility of handing them over in exchange for a peace deal. “You can’t say that we are losing the war. Honestly, by no means are we losing it, definitely. The question is whether we will win it,” Zelensky told AFP at the presidential palace in the Ukrainian capital. “Yes, that is the question, but it is a very costly question,” he added. Tension in negotiations for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine Europe’s deadliest war since World War II — which began when Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to cross the Ukrainian border on February 24, 2022 — has already left tens of thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of military personnel dead on both sides. This winter, Russian forces have dramatically intensified a campaign of systematic attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities. Such offensives left millions of people cold and dark for weeks in freezing temperatures. Currently, Washington and Moscow are pressuring Kiev to cede the disputed Donbass region, in Ukraine’s far east, to Russia. “Both the Americans and the Russians say ‘if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of Donbass,'” Zelensky said of the mineral-rich region that Russia claims as its own. Advances in the south US-mediated talks in Geneva earlier this week failed to make progress on the key issue of territorial division and ended without an agreement to end the conflict. Moscow has promised to take all of Donbas by force if Kiev does not withdraw from the territory, while Putin shows no sign of opening up to his strict demands to end the four-year invasion. Ukraine, however, still controls about a fifth of the heavily industrialized and fortified Donetsk region, while Russia has essentially taken over the entire Lugansk region. The two regions together form Donbass. Ukraine has repeatedly ruled out withdrawing its troops from the region, saying such a move would only embolden Russia. The demand to cede territory to Russia comes at a time when Kiev’s forces are, according to Zelensky, gaining ground in counteroffensives along the southern front line. “I won’t go into many details,” Zelensky said of the advances, “but today I can congratulate, first of all, our Army, all the defense forces, because to this day 300 kilometers [quadrados] were released.” He did not specify during what period this occurred. AFP was unable to verify the claim. A person walks next to a Russian armored vehicle captured amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP Military bloggers have suggested that some of these gains may have been facilitated by widespread blackouts of Starlink internet terminals along the Ukrainian front, after the network’s owner, Elon Musk, disabled them following a request from Kiev. Zelensky said “There are problems, there are challenges,” Zelensky said, but the setbacks faced by the Russian side are “much more serious.” In addition to demanding territorial concessions, the United States is pushing for a quick election because it wants to. remove him from power. “Let’s be honest: the Russians just want to replace me,” declared Zelensky. “Nobody wants elections during a war. Everyone is afraid of its destructive effect,” he added. Security guarantees The Ukrainian president, throughout the invasion, ruled out the possibility of holding elections, given that millions of Ukrainians were forced to leave the country because of the fighting or live in occupied territory. He cited the obstacles to holding any vote with the ongoing fighting, particularly in cities that are being bombed by Russia. Zelensky also said he has not yet decided whether he will contest a future election. The 48-year-old former comedian years, who won a landslide victory in the 2019 elections, said a vote can only be held in Ukraine if its allies offer robust security guarantees to deter Russian attacks. And he told AFP this Friday that he wants foreign troops – destined to be sent to Ukraine in the event of a halt in fighting – positioned close to the front line. “We would like to see the contingent closer to the front line. Of course, no one wants to be on the front line, and of course, Ukrainians would like our partners to be with us on the front line,” Zelensky concluded.

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