In an impassioned interview marking his fifth anniversary as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a desperate call for Western allies to accelerate military aid and get more directly involved in the war against Russia’s invasion.
Speaking to Reuters in Kyiv on Monday, Zelenskyy said the situation on Ukraine’s frontlines was “one of the most difficult” periods since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. He expressed frustration that key decisions by allies on stepped-up support were coming a year too late as his forces face renewed Russian offensives in the east and northeast.
“Every decision to which we, then later everyone together, comes to is late by around one year,” Zelenskyy stated, still dressed in his trademark khaki shirt and trousers. “But it is what it is: one big step forward, but before that two steps back. So we need to change the paradigm a little bit.”
The Ukrainian leader proposed several ways allies could increase their direct role, despite the risks of potential escalation with Russia. These included having air forces from neighboring NATO countries help intercept incoming Russian missiles over Ukrainian airspace.
“Russians are using 300 planes on the territory of Ukraine. We need at least 120, 130 planes to resist in the sky,” Zelenskyy said, as Ukraine awaits delivery of U.S. F-16 fighter jets not yet used against Russian forces.
He added that if allies could not supply the planes immediately, “they could still fly them from neighboring NATO states and shoot down Russian missiles.”
Zelenskyy also revealed Ukraine is negotiating with partners to allow the use of their weapons systems to strike Russian military hardware massed near Ukraine’s borders and potentially even targets inside Russia itself – a move that would likely infuriate Moscow.
“So far, there is nothing positive,” he admitted, while reiterating Ukraine has not broken any agreements by using Western arms inside Russian territory so far. “We can’t put the whole volume of weapons at risk.”
The proposals reflect Zelenskyy’s increasing urgency to shift the military balance as Ukraine tries to halt Russian advances and regain territory. In recent weeks, Moscow’s forces have made incursions into northeastern Ukraine while intensifying their push to capture remaining parts of the Donbas region.
“A very powerful wave (of fighting) is going on in Donbas … No-one even notices that there are actually more battles in the east of the country, specifically in the Donbas direction: Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar,” Zelenskyy said.
He acknowledged Western allies likely remain wary of any moves that could risk further escalating the conflict with Russia. But Zelenskyy questioned why more wasn’t being done to prevent mounting Ukrainian casualties.
“It’s a question of will. But everyone says a word that sounds the same in every language: everyone is scared of escalation,” he stated. “Everyone has gotten used to the fact that Ukrainians are dying – that’s not escalation for people.”
Despite the setbacks, Zelenskyy insisted Ukraine could still achieve victory, even if that prospect seems increasingly distant amid the intense attritional fighting draining both sides’ resources.
“I think we need to walk this path to the end, preferably a victorious one,” he said. “Even though today people look somewhat skeptically at the word ‘victory’ – I understand it is difficult, because it is long.”
Looking ahead, Zelenskyy stressed the importance of securing broad international participation, including from China, in upcoming peace talks in Switzerland excluding Russia. The talks are aimed at unifying opposition to Moscow’s incursion.
He dismissed concerns that a potential victory by Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. presidential election could imperil Western support for Ukraine given Trump’s past skepticism of aid commitments and “America First” foreign policy views.
“I don’t believe that Republicans are against support for Ukraine, but some messages that are coming from their side raise concerns,” Zelenskyy said.