Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Trudy Rubin, a columnist for the American newspaper Philadelphia Inquirer, where he discussed several key issues. He spoke about the possible format of negotiations with Russian President Putin, predicted the end of the conflict, and explained the differences in the vision of Ukraine's victory in the West and in Ukraine.
Zelensky also expressed a positive attitude towards US President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use Western military equipment to attack Russian concentrations along the border, but noted that this does not solve strategic problems, in particular the threat of corrective aerial bombs.
According to him, Patriot air defense systems are not effective in combating guided aerial bombs (GABs), and for successful defense against them, the Armed Forces of Ukraine need long-range ATACMS missiles.
Zelensky also emphasized that in the past week alone, Russia has used more than 800 guided bombs against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president insists on obtaining permission from Washington to use American long-range missiles to strike airfields deep inside the Russian rear.
“We need long-range solutions against airfields where military aircraft are based, which are used by Russia for attacks with corrective aerial bombs. ATACMS missiles, capable of operating at a distance of up to 300 kilometers, would certainly help us today. I want to emphasize: today ... but there are already airfields that are at a greater distance, where they use larger missiles. Therefore, today we need to be able to use ATACMS deep into the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said.
The President noted that the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions suffer the most from Russian guided bombs, which can be effectively combated with the help of air defense systems. However, the cost of missiles for Patriot systems is significantly high, and they are produced in limited batches.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed the possibility of negotiations with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. This was a departure from his previous statements about the impossibility of such negotiations, which are even enshrined in Ukrainian legislation.
According to Zelensky, the only way to negotiate with the Russian leader is to use intermediaries, as happened during the discussion and conclusion of the Black Sea grain corridor.
“This model was successfully used in the case of the grain corridor, when Ukraine concluded an agreement not directly with Russia, but through the UN and Turkey. They took on the responsibility to negotiate with us and sign a corresponding agreement with the Russian Federation. This strategy worked: two parallel agreements concluded by the UN and Turkey,” Zelensky explained.
According to the president, a similar scheme could be applied to negotiations on issues of “territorial integrity, energy, and freedom of navigation.” Countries from different parts of the world, including Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America, could act as mediators.
"Our partners, not only from Europe and the USA, but also from different continents, are ready to help find solutions to the crisis, and then these solutions, if they satisfy Ukraine, can be submitted for consideration to representatives of the Russian Federation. Currently, we only have such a model," Zelensky added.
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy whether US President Joe Biden believes in Ukraine's victory.
The Ukrainian leader replied that he was confident in this, but noted that the Ukrainian and Western understanding of victory differed.
“For the West, the main victory is to prevent the occupation of Ukraine and put Putin in his place,” Zelensky explained.
The president also expressed concerns about the future of Russia after Putin.
“Everyone is worried about what will happen to Russia without Putin. Will it be able to remain stable and not become even more dangerous,” he added, emphasizing his lack of support for these concerns in the West.
“We are grateful that they did not let us be occupied, but we need more than that. We need justice and satisfaction, especially for those who lost loved ones in this war,” Zelenskyy noted.
He also explained his idea of a real victory for Ukraine.
"First of all, it is to prevent the complete destruction of Ukraine and the entire Ukrainian people... While the war is ongoing, we cannot say that we have protected our independence. The most important thing is to ensure security for future generations, which means preventing a recurrence of aggression," Zelensky noted.
Zelensky stressed that a big risk is the possibility of Russia's return if Ukraine does not become a member of the European Union and NATO.
“We need collective defense of Ukraine. We should be part of the European Union for economic security and NATO for military security. I believe that without this there are great risks… This enemy will return. He will not return in the face of Putin, but in the face of another Kremlin in 20, 40, 50 years,” Zelensky emphasized.
When asked by Trudy Rubin how long the war would last, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that it would only end if all sides were ready for peace. Ukraine has already taken the first step with its peace summit.
The President assured that Kyiv plans to prepare a document on a peace plan.
“We will do everything possible to ensure that this document reaches the table of Russian representatives and that various powerful countries try to end this war fairly, using various formats and dialogues,” Zelensky said.
He added that the full final war will not come instantly for everyone.
“However, it is possible to prepare a document in which issues will be resolved not with bullets, but through dialogue in appropriate formats,” he emphasized.
The president refrained from setting a specific deadline for how long the conflict will last, but noted that it is important to take steps this year.
“We need to develop a document, we must do everything possible to hold the second summit this year. We must endure and weaken the enemy as much as possible so that at the time of the negotiations he is not on the same wavelength as us,” the Ukrainian leader concluded.
