President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is giving a big press conference on the situation in Ukraine and repelling Russian aggression.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is giving a big press conference on the situation in Ukraine and repelling Russian aggression.
The press conference is being held at one of the Kyiv metro stations.
20:58: There are preliminary agreements on the “patronage” of certain countries over certain regions of Ukraine for their restoration after the war.
“The patronage provides not only finances, but also its specialists,” Zelensky said.
According to him, Great Britain expressed its desire to engage in the restoration of the Kyiv region, Sweden – Nikolaev and the region.
20:57: Zelensky about Russia’s plans to advance to the border of Moldova and Transnistria: “There are such threats. From the point of view of the result, we’ll see. We will definitely defend our territories.”
20:56: Zelensky counts on the visit of Pope Francis to Ukraine.
“I would like him to help unblock humanitarian corridors to Mariupol, we have addressed him with such a request,” the president said.
20:54: Zelensky about the shelling of residential buildings in Odessa by Russian invaders, where 8 people, including a three-month-old baby, were killed on the eve of Easter: “Smelly scum, what else to call them? Just scum.”
20:52: Whether negotiations with Putin will take place in Turkey depend on the decision of the Russian president, Zelensky stressed.
20:48: Zelensky again emphasized that the decision not to take Ukraine into the Alliance was a big mistake of the West: “I think it was a big mistake not to take Ukraine into NATO, which has not been able to accept us into the Alliance over all these years. Although now it is clear that this would only strengthen the Alliance, and it would be a guarantee that the Russian Federation would not start a war. It was a strategic mistake “
20:45: Many countries did not believe that Ukraine would be able to repel a Russian attack, the president said.
“No one expected that we would hold out for more than three days. Some leaders did not even want to introduce the sanctions policy out loud, saying: “What’s the point if they will be occupied in three days,” Zelensky said.
20:40: Zelensky said that he did not plan any visits abroad until the end of the war: “Until the war is over, I have no right to go to Poland and other countries.”
20:37: Zelensky expressed confidence that the partner countries will not hand over the promised military assistance.
“They have no alternative. We will not give them such an opportunity. We have no other opportunity to win back our land,” he stressed.
20:35: Zelensky expressed confidence that Putin and his accomplices will appear before the tribunal: “I don’t want to meet with the President of the Russian Federation. I have to. If we plan to solve these issues diplomatically. As for whether I want Putin to appear before the tribunal: I I am sure that they will appear – all those who gave these shameful orders to destroy people, children, everyone.I am sure of this, I believe in it.
We know how the international process is going, how the international court is going, how it happens. This has been going on for years. We will wait. We will wait. And if people like me do not wait, then our children will definitely wait. Believe me, I am sure that there will be the last nail in the politics of this state.”
20:30: Zelensky, speaking about the situation in Mariupol, noted that today is one of the most difficult days: “There is a difficult environment in Mariupol now. Today is one of the most difficult days. They fire from the sea and from land, from tanks, artillery, aircraft, from everything. the signal was an hour ago from the “Azov”, the guys who are there.”
Speaking about the possibility of unlocking the city under blockade by military means, Zelensky said: “We have the full moral right to military unlock our cities. There is great hope that we will be able to do this. Are we ready now? No.”
The President stressed that the commanders of the units protecting the city have a clear understanding of the situation.
20:25: According to the president, in none of the past wars unleashed by the Russian Federation, the Russians did not resort to such destruction and such “military rudeness” (torture, rape) as they resort to in Ukraine.
“This war cannot be compared with any war in the 21st century, it is impossible to compare even with the wars of the 90s. There was no such war,” Zelensky said.
20:23: “Over the past week, signals, messages, steps, deadlines, numbers… I’m talking about weapons… All this is from the United States, everything has improved,” the president said.
20:21: Zelensky, speaking about assistance from partners, stressed that the United States plays a big role, both providing assistance and facilitating assistance from other countries.
“But I would like it to be faster,” the president said, answering the question of whether Ukraine is satisfied with the level of support
20:18: The President on the current demands of the Russian Federation at the negotiations: “At first it was an ultimatum. Then the rhetoric of this ultimatum began to change just because of the unification of our people. Then the ultimatum clauses began to disappear and negotiations began.
Then a communiqué was prepared in Turkey, to which, as far as I know, the Russian Federation first reacted positively, and then they received a high level of criticism from the people within the state, because they instilled hatred for Ukraine through the media. And then, as far as I know, they responded to this communiqué. With these answers, our subgroups work.
The most pressing issues are guarantees of security and neutrality, the fate of Donbass and Crimea. I believe the issue no longer exists. Everything else is political show-off.”
20:15: “Majority Ukrainians are not just ready to live 10-15-20 years in permanent wartime – We have no other choice. We have already become such a state – to protect our land for many years. When we win, we will have the strongest and most experienced army. And we will become one of the most powerful states in Europe,” Zelensky said.
20:12: Now we are talking about a pragmatic dialogue with Russia, and not about any kind of trust, Zelensky stressed. According to him, while there is no opportunity to de-occupy the territories, Ukraine is making efforts to organize exchanges of prisoners.
20:10: If assistance is provided more quickly, Ukraine will return its territories faster, the president believes.
20:08: Western partners have begun to make decisions and provide assistance more quickly, Zelensky said.
“Especially I see this change in speed from the United States of America,” he said.
20:05: Zelensky told how Ukraine will be recapture their territories: “My position as president is: everything that they occupy, we will return everything. It will not be a matter of 8 years, like from 2014, it will be immediately. This is a matter of weapons. If we have enough of it, we will immediately begin to return the occupied territory”
20:04: The President on diplomatic relations with Georgia: “We will return the ambassador to Georgia as soon as we begin to feel support from the leaders of power.
20:02: Zelensky said that he did not understand the recent decisions of the political leadership of Georgia: “I cannot understand the behavior. I am not a teacher, your (Georgia-UNIAN) leaders are not students. They are adults. I don’t understand why. They didn’t impose sanctions… I’ve heard messages that we have to protect our economy, what kind of economy? They have already taken part of Georgia’s territory.”
19:56: The President responded to the Kremlin’s “concern” about the supply of weapons: “As for the supply of weapons, we do not care what Russia thinks about this. Although they themselves delivered a lot of equipment to us – we remember how they threw their weapons and ran away.”
19:54: There may be several reasons for Ukraine to withdraw from negotiations with the Russian Federation.
“If our people are destroyed in Mariupol, if a referendum is announced in any occupied territories of Ukraine, Ukraine will withdraw from any negotiations. But people there should know and not help the occupiers. Local people go from house to house, collect data. This is a wrong step on the part of Russia This says that all the previous negotiations are a fiction and just a theater with very bad actors,” Zelensky said.
19:52: Zelensky on the risks of conducting direct negotiations with Putin: “I’m not afraid of meeting with the president, if we talk about assassination attempts. I simply have no right to be afraid. Because our people showed that they were not afraid of anything, they stopped tanks with their bare hands. Like the Armed Forces of Ukraine , National Guardsmen. People are afraid for their children, yes. And therefore, a normal leader should not be afraid when it comes to our state and independence “
19:50: Zelensky assures that his guards are more afraid of attempts on his life than he is.
19:48: Indirect negotiations with Putin through his proxies or third countries will not give the desired result, Zelensky believes.
19.45: The President pondered aloud the reasons why Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine.
According to him, Russia at the level of power and the Russians themselves do not consider and did not consider Ukraine an independent state, they do not respect either the culture or the values of Ukrainians.
“They don’t think that we have the right to independence, which means that we have the right to life,” Zelensky says.
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