Zelensky made the prediction in a Jan. 1 interview with the Economist magazine. According to him, Kyiv will seek to cut off access to Crimea's Kerch Peninsula by destroying the Kerch Strait Bridge. The bridge connects Crimea to the Taman Peninsula in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region.
To accomplish this goal, Zelensky demanded that the West give him long-range Taurus cruise missiles made in Germany. Despite France and the United Kingdom providing Kyiv with Storm Shadow missiles, Berlin has so far refused to send the Taurus missiles that possess "the ability to explode deep inside a target." (Related: France promises to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, putting a target on itself for Russia’s nuclear weapons.)
According to the Ukrainian leader, isolating Crimea is "extremely important" as the region hosts Russia's Black Sea military fleet. "Russia has to know that for us, this is a military object," he told the Economist.
Zelensky reiterated his ambitious goal of eventually restoring the country's 1991 borders, established after the fall of the Soviet Union. While this goal has not and will not change, he is no longer setting timelines and refraining from making promises of how much territory Kyiv can "de-occupy" this 2024. Instead, Zelensky said the immediate goals of the AFU are to "defend the east;" "protect [Ukraine's] critical infrastructure;" and "save [the] very important cities" of Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Mykolaiv.
He blamed information leaks for the failure of Kyiv's much-hyped summer counteroffensive against Moscow. He also complained that the "mobilization of Ukrainian society and of the world" was much lower now compared to when the conflict began in February 2022. Moreover, Zelensky insinuated that the Germans – who have refused to give him the Taurus missiles he wants – aren't the only Western power standing in his way.
Military success depends on "assistance" from the West
During the interview, the comedian-turned-president admitted that Ukraine's "military success" will depend on assistance from the West. "Giving us money or giving us weapons, you support yourself," said Zelensky. "You save your children, not ours."
"The most important profession a Ukrainian can do at the moment is to be in Ukraine. For our Western partners, it is to be with Ukraine. If you don't have the strength, then either get out or step aside."
Zelensky declared martial law in Ukraine, alongside a general mobilization, in February 2022. At the time, most men aged between 18 and 60 years old were prohibited from leaving the country. However, Kyiv's losses at the hands of Moscow decimated a huge percentage of the AFU.
Ukraine's disappointing summer counteroffensive cost Kyiv almost 160,000 troops, according to the Kremlin. Despite this, Zelensky recently announced a plan to raise 500,000 more soldiers to replace battlefield losses.
"Mobilization is not just a matter of soldiers going to the front; it is about all of us, it is the mobilization of all efforts,” he told the Economist. “Let's be honest: We have switched to domestic politics. If we continue to focus on domestic politics, we need to call elections, change the law [and] the constitution. But forget about counteroffensive actions and de-occupation."
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that Russian forces now hold the strategic initiative in the Russia-Ukraine war. In contrast, he noted that Kyiv has largely been driven by political goals. According to Putin, Ukraine's efforts have been aimed at showing its "true masters at least some results."
"The West is not abandoning its strategy of containing Russia and its aggressive goals in Ukraine," said the Russian leader. "Well, we are not going to give up our goals for the special military operation either."
Head over to UkraineWitness.com for more stories about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Watch Emerald Robinson discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky begging for more aid from the U.S. below.
This video is from The Absolute Truth w/ Emerald channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Russian lawmaker: Attack on Crimean Bridge "a declaration of war without rules" against Russia.
MORE, MORE, MORE! Zelensky calls on West to provide Ukraine with air defense systems.
Russia Ukraine War getting out of hand following Kerch Bridge explosion, Putin retaliation.
ALL BARK, NO BITE: Ukraine's much-hyped counteroffensive SLOWED by vast minefield.
Russia pulls Black Sea vessels out of Crimea following Ukrainian missile, drone strikes.
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