President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with media representatives and discussed a wide range of important issues, from the situation at the front, in particular in Kharkiv Region, to the truce, assistance and concerns of partners, accession to the EU, NATO, and personnel changes in the Government.
RBC-Ukraine reports on the main points of the President's speech.
The situation in the Kharkiv Region
Zelensky stressed that the defenders have "stabilised the Russians where they are now"- the occupiers have made advances with a maximum depth of 10 km, and in some areas the enemy's brigades have no success. The President noted:
"Now we have reinforced several areas with separate battalions - something that could have been taken from the reserve and from some directions. The reason why Russians are crossing the border is because Ukraine lacks air defence systems. They are at a distance where they have an advantage, using air bombs and artillery... 8 months of pause in decision-making by our partners. It is clear that it was not easy for our soldiers."
When asked about the fortifications, he said the following:
"The enemy has reached the first line. The first line is not the border, it is impossible to build there because of the weapons the Russians used, our people were killed. They are approximately there now. This is the first line, the line that was built in the war, under constant fire, by our military. The first and second lines were built by the military, and the third line was built by local authorities. It is the most powerful - not because they are better than the military, but simply because it is further away from weapons, from missiles, from shelling."
In his opinion, in addition to the 10km zone, the enemy is targeting Vovchansk: "..they always want to build on the success, if there is any". However, the situation has stabilised.
The situation with weapons and the Czech initiative
The President assured that there is progress within the framework of the Czech initiative on artillery ammunition:
"For the first time in the years of war, none of the brigades complains that there is no artillery shell. And this has been happening for the last 2 months. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. The Czech initiative will continue. We are negotiating with all partners about funding."
In addition, an initiative is now being launched under which partners will finance the production of Ukrainian drones and electronic warfare equipment. He also added that the technical characteristics of Ukrainian drones are improving:
"We are starting to produce a lot of them, and there is no money for it, we can produce more than we have money for".
Using Western-made weapons to strike inside Russia
On this question, Zelensky replied that there should be no bans:
"...because this is not about an offensive by the Ukrainian army using Western weapons on the territory of Russia. This is defence. It's just like the preventive sanctions that we all talked about before the full-scale invasion. This is the same thing. This is a warning. And not only that, but they have the same grey zone there. People are being evicted there. They also have almost no civilians on the border, on their side. For obvious reasons."
Partners' concerns
According to Zelensky, the partners are concerned about Russia's defeat in this war:
"They would like Ukraine to win in a way that Russia does not lose. Because it would be an unpredictable loss and unpredictable geopolitics. I think it doesn't work that way. To help Ukraine win, we need to be given everything that winners have."
Antony Blinken's visit to Kyiv
The President shared the details of the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ukraine, pointing out several key aspects of the trip: financial assistance and air defence systems:
"First of all, a $2 billion package. The second is the US proposals on security guarantees. We already have a draft of the Security Assurances Treaty. Third, we discussed our vision for the NATO Summit. They heard our vision, accepted this information and will return with feedback."
The President also emphasised the importance of air defence systems: "At what stage is the dialogue with a particular country that has the relevant systems. Where do we see them, where do our partners see them, when can it be done, and what needs to be done for this?"
Macron's initiative on Western troops
Zelensky also commented on French President Emmanuel Macron's statement about the possible deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine. He said that ‘training in Ukraine’ is a logical solution:
"Training in Ukraine is logical - we have already talked about this. It is faster than going to France, for example, or even Poland. And then - cooperation on demining, we can make a hub for repairing French equipment right in Ukraine, so that it does not have to be sent to France. I look at this very positively, to be honest. All of this could be a step that would encourage other countries. I mean, it opens a new page in this war."
The possibility of negotiations
The President stressed that Western allies do not put pressure on Ukraine to start negotiations with Russia: "Our partners are not putting pressure on us. Although it seems to me that it is in the atmosphere of the world. And here we just need to be very resilient and strong. And the right platform has been chosen today, where we have the initiative - the Peace Summit."
Truce for the duration of the Olympics
The President of Ukraine said that he does not yet believe in the possibility of a ceasefire with Russia during the Summer Olympics:
"We have already had a ceasefire. But it does not work well with this enemy. In addition, there is a risk - who will record that during the ceasefire their forces will not approach us? The ceasefire doesn't prevent their equipment from moving closer and then launching an offensive. So I don't understand the details. To me, it sounds unrealistic."
He also believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is not interested in dialogue with the international community:
"Because China stands for the territorial integrity of any state. Today, there must be conditions for Putin himself to look for a way out of this situation. Because now he has no discomfort. Where are we shooting at? What can we attack? What can we use for attack? How much aid will we get economically? Will we push for sanctions or not? Will there be a tribunal or not? We need to answer each of these questions. And work and move forward in each of these aspects every day."
Goals for the Peace Summit
Commenting on the upcoming Global Peace Summit in Switzerland ( June 15-16, 2024), the President described the expected results for Kyiv - an important communiqué:
"We want to get energy security, including nuclear security. Because I believe that everyone is interested in this, and this can give us the opportunity to prepare for another winter. We want free shipping. Any cargo through the Ukrainian sea without risk. This is also about the safety of people in Odesa and the South in general. Because they are hitting the ports - this is the infrastructure, the sea, and the economy."
He also emphasised: "And also take a serious step to push for the exchange of prisoners. In the humanitarian aspect, the exchange of prisoners is a double issue, as well as with energy. Energy is nuclear safety - something that everyone supports. It seems to me that where there is nuclear security, we can talk about the overall security of the energy system. As for the exchange. Where there is a prisoner exchange, there is also the issue of returning children. This is basically what we want to achieve."
Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO
Discussing the process of Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO, the President noted that Ukraine had done everything necessary at this stage: "The only thing left is politics. That is, we have done everything instrumentally and operationally to ensure that the EU opens negotiations with Ukraine in June. I think everything will work out. Even difficult partners have become a little easier today. We have been actively working with them."
Personnel changes in the Government
The President briefly commented on the personnel issues in the Cabinet of Ministers and the Presidential Office, emphasising the need to resolve them: "We talked about this with the Prime Minister. Today, we have acting heads in several ministries. This needs to be resolved."
Earlier, Apostrophe wrote that Russians abduct and kill local residents in Vovchansk.