6 takeaways from interview with Ukrainian President Zelensky - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

6 takeaways from an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

 Volodymyr Zelensky poses for a photo in an indoor setting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to the front lines in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
(Felipe Dana / Associated Press)
Share via

The Associated Press was invited to tour an embattled town in northeastern Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of an interview with him. Some takeaways from the session:

The looming winter campaign

Zelensky said the onset of winter marks a new phase of the 21-month-old war with Russia that will affect not only front-line battlefields but also civilians in cities and towns, as well as the export of grain.

He anticipates a resumption of an intense Russian air campaign. Such attacks last year struck key civilian infrastructure, affecting power, heat and water supplies. Russia also targeted grain silos and ports, hampering export capabilities.

Advertisement

Although Ukraine has robust air defenses, thanks to Western allies, and has managed to thwart most drone and missile attacks on major cities, Russia appears to be intent on overwhelming these capabilities. Zelensky said protecting civilian areas in addition to keeping up defenses on the long front line makes the winter campaign especially challenging.

Russian attacks plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness last winter. War-weary citizens brace for more blackouts amid a rush to protect Ukraine’s electrical grid.

Oct. 3, 2023

Last summer’s counteroffensive

On Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive, Zelensky admitted it did not produce the results many had hoped for. He said this was due mainly to Ukraine not receiving hoped-for weapons from allies that kept ground forces at a disadvantage.

“Look, we are not backing down, I am satisfied. We are fighting with the second [best] army in the world, I am satisfied,” he said referring to the Russian military. But he added: “We are losing people, I’m not satisfied. We didn’t get all the weapons we wanted, I can’t be satisfied, but I also can’t complain too much.”

Advertisement

He conceded that Ukraine is not able to advance quickly enough and achieve major breakthroughs, but he said that’s not a reason to surrender.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000, to a total of 1.32 million.

Dec. 1, 2023

The Israel-Hamas war

Zelensky said the Israel-Hamas war threatens to divert attention from the conflict in Ukraine at a critical moment, but he did not elaborate on whether there has been a tangible impact on weapons or funds. The crisis in the Middle East also comes ahead of an election year in the United States, where aid to Ukraine is expected to face deeper scrutiny.

“The war here is full-scale, complex, large, global. The biggest war since World War II. So we understand what the challenges may be if the focus of our allies’ attention will be scattered,” he said. “You see, attention equals help.”

Advertisement

Israel bombs Gaza and Hamas aims rockets at Israel as top U.S. diplomat departs region. But now-expired truce saw scores of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners freed.

Dec. 1, 2023

Domestic arms production

Zelensky wants to ramp up Ukraine’s domestic arms production, enabling the country to produce its own weapons instead of depending on outside suppliers.

Ukraine is devoting a sizable portion of its budget for weapons manufacturing, including drones, but the nascent industry is not able to meet what is needed to force a decisive shift against better-resourced Russia.

Zelensky hopes Western allies will grant Ukraine the licenses to manufacture and repair their weapons. He also wants cheap loans from the West to fund the plans.

At the same time, he said Russia must not be allowed to bypass sanctions to build weapons that use parts sourced from around the world.

He said he told President Biden that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is afraid of Ukraine becoming militarily independent.

“If our production becomes powerful, very powerful, we will depend mostly on ourselves,” he said. “Russia understands that all its plans for destabilization, expansion and occupation of Ukraine will end.”

Advertisement

U.S., Europe and China

Commenting on an AP poll that showed nearly half of Americans disapprove of continued aid to Ukraine, Zelensky said Kyiv was fighting for the long-term benefit of the U.S. and other countries, an argument he has made before. A Russian victory would compromise Europe’s stability, he said, and Russia could invade a NATO country, forcing the deployment of American troops there.

“You think that if our children die, we want someone else’s children to die too?” he asked.

Zelensky invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Ukraine, but such a trip has yet to materialize. Still, he said China’s continued support of Ukraine is “very important.”

China will keep a balance due to “historical and economic relationships” with Russia, he said, adding that “lines that cannot be crossed” include sovereignty, justice and nuclear security.

Elections in Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine’s constitution mandates that it is supposed to hold a presidential election in March 2024, but Zelensky said the country is not able to have one, citing the dangers to voters amid shelling and airstrikes. Online balloting would require amending the constitution, he added, and there is the problem of voting in areas occupied by Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s KGB years in East Germany offer a window into his crackdown on protests, war on Ukraine and yearning for empire.

June 15, 2023

Elections “must take place” as soon as Ukraine’s security is stabilized, he added.

Russia is expected to hold an election that same month, with Putin likely to run for another six-year term. Zelensky said that vote would not be democratic and “everyone knows what the outcome will be,“ adding that the world should label the balloting illegitimate.

Advertisement

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in power since 2000, would not be able to run for reelection in 2024 because of term limits under current law.

March 14, 2020

Advertisement