President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an interview to the American TV channel Fox News. The conversation with journalist Bret Bayer took place less than 2,5 km from the front line in the Kharkiv region. Distant artillery fire and explosions rang out during the interview and throughout the morning as the Fox News crew prepared for it. the American TV channel. ElitExpert collected the main statements and theses of the Ukrainian president
Zelensky invited Biden and Trump to Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky invited US President Joe Biden and Republican leader Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and see the "tragedy" with their own eyes.
"I am happy to welcome here any of the presidential candidates, anyone who is a thought leader. I want them to see what war means, who started this war. It is not necessary to go with me to the front. It's enough to talk to people," — said Zelensky.
The President of Ukraine had previously offered Trump to personally come to Ukraine. In an interview with Fox News, Zelensky added: "If Trump comes, I'm ready to go right to the front line with him."
In addition, the President of Ukraine commented on Trump's statement that he is capable of ending the war in 24 hours. Zelensky said that he "cannot understand" how he will achieve this.
"He (Trump, ed.) will see what is happening, and after that, I think, he will change his mind. We all understood that there are no two sides in this war: there is only one enemy, and that is Putin's position." explained Zelensky.
US financial aid and weapons production
The American journalist asked Zelensky what message he would address to the US Congress, which has not approved a new aid package for Ukraine for several months.
“My message is that if they want to be very pragmatic, the price we're asking them to support now is less than it will be in the future... They will pay much, much more. We just want to live, survive. We have no alternative," — said Zelensky.
Without Western aid, Ukraine will be unable not only to maintain its defense, but also to strengthen its economy in order to increase the production of its own weapons, the head of state emphasized. In particular, Kyiv needs powerful weapons, long-range weapons, long-range missiles and artillery.
Vladimir Putin and the end of the war
According to the president, the war in Ukraine will end when the world realizes the level of global threat posed by Vladimir Putin.
"Putin crossed all the red lines. He is an inadequate person who poses a threat to the whole world. He wants to destroy NATO, that is his goal. The war will end when the world understands what a threat Putin is." Zelensky emphasized.
According to him, the world is not really ready for Putin to lose his power and is afraid of changes in the Russian Federation. However, the US, European countries and the global South "can choose".
However, the president of Ukraine suggests that the Russians can remove Putin from power, but it will take time. According to him, it can work if, with increasing losses, people will start to go against the war in Ukraine.
About the losses of the Russians and the Armed Forces at the front
Zelensky stated that the losses of the occupying Russian army in the war in Ukraine are five times greater than the losses of the Defense Forces.
"We know that tens of thousands of people were killed. Tens of thousands of children were deported. If you compare the number of dead soldiers, I would say the ratio is one to five. For one Ukrainian soldier who died in battle, there are 5 Russian soldiers. These are approximate statistics," — said the president.
Conducting elections
The president said that he did not cancel the elections in the country. Martial law caused the postponement of the vote.
"No one canceled the elections. The law says that elections cannot be held during martial law. This is not some law passed under me. He was there from the beginning." said Zelensky.
Moreover, the current president is convinced of his victory in the presidential elections.
"Now I have the most support in society. Therefore, if we hold elections now, people will choose me. Needless to say, I am trying to stay in power. I would have won the election if it had been held," - said Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
Deoccupation of territories and agreements
It is difficult to de-occupy Ukrainian territories within the borders of 1991 only by military means. This is what President Zelensky believes. According to him, it will take a very long time and risk the loss of many lives.
"It is smarter to achieve de-occupation through diplomatic means. But for this you need to press on the battlefield to have a strong position. Putin fears only power. His position weakens as their losses mount. We need to show the Russians how much they are losing, convey this information to them," — said the president.
Zelenskyi emphasized that he believes only in legal agreements and bilateral security agreements that include sanctions and weapons.
"I believe that becoming a member of NATO is important for Ukraine for its survival. But, to be honest, I believe most of all that only the Ukrainian Armed Forces are capable of protecting us." - summed up the President of Ukraine.
Ukraine will prepare a new counteroffensive and operations at the front.
The head of state noted that defense is a big task and challenge in a war with such a large country as Russia.
Commenting on the issue of the counteroffensive in 2023 and the expectations that it should have been more effective, Zelenskyi said that first of all, it is necessary to think about the lives of the military, because if the soldiers are lost, Ukraine will lose everything.
"Defense is the number one task. We will continue our successful history in the Black Sea. I won't go into too much detail, but we are preparing some surprises for Russia. It is very important. South is important. The defense of the east, where they have more than 200 soldiers, is also very important. Of course, we will prepare a new counteroffensive, new operations. Of course, I am not saying that we will just stand there. It depends on many things." - said the president.
When asked whether the counteroffensive would have been more successful if Ukraine had received weapons on time, Zelensky urged us not to remember the past, but to think about the present. He added that Ukraine needs Patriot air defense systems, long-range weapons, etc.
According to the head of state, the situation at the front is not fair, the forces are not equal.
About the return of Ukrainians from abroad
Zelensky says that if Ukrainians return, the economy will improve. Many new jobs will appear, there will be more taxes.
"So, we will be stronger and, of course, we will be able to put as much pressure on Russia as possible. And in this strong position, we found one very important diplomatic way. This is a document," — the president said.
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