Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia will launch a new offensive against his nation this summer, warning the West that it needs aid now more than ever to fight off the Kremlin forces.
Speaking at the “Ukraine Year 2024” forum in Kyiv on Sunday, Zelensky said a new wave of Russian aggression will begin in a couple of months.
“Russia will be preparing for counteroffensive actions at the beginning of the summer or at the end of May if they can,” Zelenskyy said. “We will be preparing for the battle.”
The Ukrainian president noted that the key to success would be for its allies to show a united commitment to helping fight Russia, with Zelensky alluding to “instability” in the US as a Ukrainian aid bill has yet to move forward in the House.
The lack of American aid has led to an increasing ammunition shortage in the front lines, with Ukrainian troops forced to ration their ammo while fighting waves of Russian troops.
Zelensky claimed that if his troops had just 10 more American-made Patriot missile systems, his army would have forced the Russians to retreat by now.
“They wouldn’t have approached us. They would have retreated. We would have broken their defensive lines and moved forward,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelensky added that at least four brigades are not taking part in the counteroffensive against Russia because they don’t have the equipment they were promised.
Despite being two years into the war with both sides unable to advance far past the front lines, Zelensky refused to characterize the battle as a stalemate.
Instead, the Ukrainian president claimed his country was determined to win the war, trusting that America will deliver the $61 billion proposed in Congress.
“So, if partners are ready to do it — not so slow way — stop being afraid of Russia,” he told NBC News Sunday. “If they are ready, we will have success. If not, they will continue, continue, continue [to] attack us.”
Zelensky also stressed that he would not be open to negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Is it possible to talk to a man who kills his opponents?” Zelensky said, referring to the recent death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
During the forum, Zelensky revealed for the first time that an estimated 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action since Russia invaded the nation in 2022.
While he declined to say how many more troops were wounded or missing, he said “tens of thousands of civilians” have been killed in the areas Russia is now occupying.