Zelensky disagreed with Zaluzhny: "The situation at the front is not a stalemate"
He rejected media reports that the West is pushing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to consider the situation on the frontline a stalemate. This is how he commented on the words of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valeriy Zaluzhny.
"This is not a stalemate. Russia controls the sky. We are protecting our military. No one wants to just throw their people away like Russia does, like meat. How to overcome this? F-16s have to wait until the guys are trained, when they come back. When there are air defense systems at the front, the military go forward and use the equipment," Zelensky said on Saturday at a press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Earlier, Zaluzhny wrote in an article published in The Economist that the war in Ukraine is entering a new phase, turning into a positional war of attrition, which only plays into Russia's hands, allowing it to restore its military potential and threaten Ukraine's very existence again.
Zelensky recalled that in 2022, everyone believed that Ukrainian troops were in a stalemate.
"A few military tricks, and you remember, the Kharkiv region was liberated. We have no right to give up. What is the alternative? That we should give up a third of our country? That would be just the beginning. We know what a frozen conflict is, we have already drawn conclusions. We need to work more with our air defense partners, unblock the skies, and enable our soldiers to conduct offensive operations," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president noted that EU and US representatives are not forcing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia.
"We are not going to sit down and talk to Russia and give them something," Zelenskyy said.
The head of the European Commission, for her part, said that she was working on allocating an additional 50 billion euros for Ukraine.
In addition, she said, the European Commission will present a new package of sanctions against Russia next week.
Background. Earlier, the US TV channel NBC News reported, citing its sources, that US and EU officials had begun discussing with Ukraine the possibility of peace talks with Russia.
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