Vilnius, Lithuania
Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine would not lead to political dialogue, and would only benefit Moscow.
Speaking to reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn during a wider tour of the Baltic region, Zelenskiy said any pause would risk allowing Russia to re-group and boost its supply of munitions “and we will not risk”.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Estonian President Alar Karis attend a joint press conference in Tallinn, Estonia, on 11th January, 2024. PICTURE: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters
“The pause would not lead to an end of the war, it would not lead to political dialogue with Russia or someone else…And thank God this is all decided in Ukraine and there will be no pauses to benefit Russia,” he said.
Speaking later on Thursday in the Latvian capital Riga, he said Russia is preparing to launch an offensive ahead of the presidential election in March.
“They want some small tactical victories before [the elections], and prepare for something global or massive afterwards,” said Zelenskiy.
“The situation on the front is very complicated; we lack weapons,” he added.
On his trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, some of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters in the European Union and the NATO military alliance, Zelenskiy hopes to push back against fatigue among Ukraine’s Western allies, secure more financial and military aid, and discuss Kyiv’s bids to join NATO and the EU.
It will be difficult for Ukraine to survive unless it receives a delayed package of financial support from the European Union, he told media in Tallinn. The package was blocked by Hungary in December.
“This support is very important to us,” said Zelenskiy.
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No negotiations
The three Baltic states were the first Western nations to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons in the weeks before the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskiy said Russia was facing a “deficit” of munitions and struggling to rebuild its elite troops, which was influencing its battlefield behaviour.
He alleged Russia was negotiating missile purchases from Iran and that Russian forces had received more than a million rounds of ammunition from North Korea.
Zelenskiy refused to comment on remarks by Italy’s defence minister on Wednesday that the time had come for diplomacy in the conflict.
“I have never had such negotiations with Italy on any level, so it is hard for me to comment,” he said.
– Additional reporting by YULIIA DYSA
