Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the forum "Ukraine. Year 2024" answered journalists' questions and spoke about the situation after two years of full-scale Russian invasion.
"Apostrophe" collected the main theses and statements of the President, said during the event.
Counteroffensive
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Kremlin had a plan of action of the Defense Forces even before the counter-offensive operations of Ukrainian troops began.
"I won't be able to tell you the details of this plan, because the less people know about the Ukrainian army's plans, the faster will be the victory and the unexpected result for the Russians. And I will tell you frankly - our counteroffensives last fall were on the table for the Kremlin before the counteroffensives began. That's it." Zelensky said.
Mobilization law
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on the situation with the consideration of the draft law on mobilization by the Verkhovna Rada, saying that MPs "must work". On the question when the guarantor of the Constitution expects the adoption of the law on mobilization, taking into account about 4 000 amendments that were proposed by lawmakers, Zelensky said:
"As for the law, in your question itself all the complexities you have already said - thousands of amendments. Let the deputies work and then answer Ukraine what will happen next."
Losses in the war
The President said that 31 000 Ukrainian soldiers have already died in the war against the aggressor. At the same time, the losses of the Russian Armed Forces are 180 000 troops killed. If you take into account the wounded and missing Russians, the total losses of the enemy's personnel will be up to 500 000.
"Each of these losses is a big loss for us. 180 000 Russians have been killed. Total losses of dead and wounded Russians up to 500 000. I will not say how many wounded we have. Because Russia will know how many wounded left the battlefield. I simply will not say," Zelensky added.
The possibility of negotiations with Putin
Also Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that peace talks with the current leadership of the Russian Federation are impossible, because the head of the Kremlin Vladimir Putin does not hear the arguments of his vis-a-vis.
"Is it possible to talk to a deaf person? Is it possible to talk to a man who kills his opponents? We will offer a platform where he can agree that he has lost this war. Is Ukraine losing this war? I am sure that it is not. We have no possibility of losing. If we lose, we will not exist, we will not exist," the President said.
Ammunition
During a press conference, Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian Federation has started to face the problem of arms shortage, so 2024 will also be a turning point for it. According to the president, Russia has started using weapons from Iran and North Korea. This shows that the aggressor also faced supply problems on the front.
"If Russia is taking Iranian "Shaheds", North Korean Soviet artillery and their missiles, it shows that this year is also a turning point for them. They have a big shortage as well," the President said.
Election in the U.S.
The President also noted that the results of the US elections will be a turning point for Ukraine. Zelensky hinted that the election results at the end of the year will depend on many things. He expressed hope that Air Defense systems could be used closer to the front line in the future, which would allow for successful offensive actions, hinting at Patriot SAMs.
"We will understand what happens after that. 10 Patriot - that would change the situation dramatically," he said.
Earlier we wrote that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says Ukraine will have the right to strike Russian military targets outside Ukraine.