(Kyiv) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky judged Friday, in an exclusive interview with AFP, that the assault launched by Russia against the Kharkiv region could only be the first wave of a broader offensive, and that Moscow wanted to “attack” the eponymous regional capital.
“They have launched their operation, it may consist of several waves. And this is their first wave,” assured the Ukrainian president, while Russia has just made its biggest territorial gains since the end of 2022.
He nevertheless assured that, despite Russian advances in recent days in this northeastern region, the situation was better for his forces than a week ago, when Kremlin troops crossed the border by surprise on May 10. .
They are 5-10 km maximum from the border, we stopped them […] I will not say that it is a great (Russian) success, but we must be sober and admit that it is they, not us, who are moving into our territory. This is their advantage.
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
According to him, the situation is not yet “stabilized”. “Nevertheless, the situation is under control, and better than the first day” of the offensive thanks to the reinforcements deployed, he said.
PHOTO VALENTYN OGIRENKO, REUTERS
Smoke escapes from a building hit by the Russian army in the Kharkiv region.
For him, Russia wants to attack the city of Kharkiv, the country’s second city, only a few dozen kilometers from the front. Moscow had already failed to take it in 2022 and Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he had no intention of attacking it “for the moment”.
The Ukrainian president assured that the battle for the city, if there was one, would be tough for the Russian army.
“They want it, they want to attack,” he said, but “they understand it’s an uphill battle.” It’s a big city and they understand that we have forces and that they will fight for a long time.”
It is now a matter of Ukraine and its Western allies not showing weakness, therefore requiring two Patriot anti-aircraft systems to defend the region’s skies and the soldiers who defend it, said the president.
“They are like a beast (…) If they sense weakness in this direction, they will push,” Mr. Zelensky warned, but if Ukrainian troops manage to stop those of Russia, she will give up. “They are not going to die by the millions, in my opinion, to have Kharkiv.”
The Russian offensive officially aims, according to Mr. Putin, to create a buffer zone supposed to prevent Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.
Moscow’s forces are trying to take advantage of the lack of men and weapons facing Ukraine after two years of war.
Only a quarter of the anti-aircraft assets needed
PHOTO PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW, REUTERS ARCHIVES
An F-16 fighter on display in Eindhoven, Netherlands, during the Ukrainian president’s visit in August 2023.
Ukraine has only a quarter of the air defense systems it needs and also requires 120 to 130 F-16 fighter jets to be able to claim to end Russia’s dominance in the air, the president said Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Today we have 25% of what we need to defend Ukraine, I am talking about air defense systems” in particular the powerful American Patriots systems, estimated Mr. Zelensky, adding that his country needed “120 to 130” F-16 fighter planes or other modern aircraft, “so that Russia does not have superiority in the air”.
Russia has been shelling Ukraine from the air for two years, putting its troops on the front line in difficulty, hitting towns and infrastructure.
Due to a lack of sufficient defense systems, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been significantly damaged this year by hundreds of missiles, drones and bombs launched by the Russian military.
Ukraine has also been weakened, in the face of a better-armed enemy, by the almost total cessation of American military aid for several months and the slowness of European aid. But now that the United States has voted $60 billion in aid, Mr. Zelensky wants to see deliveries.
PHOTO SEBASTIAN APEL, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
A Patriot air defense system
“Can we have three billion to acquire two (Patriots) for the Kharkiv region (target of continuous assaults), so that the bombs will no longer fall on our soldiers? “, he said.
Regarding the F-16 combat planes, some of which are due to arrive in Ukraine this summer once the pilots have been trained, Mr. Zelensky is calling for many more, especially since his country has set itself the objective of resuming control of its skies this year.
The 120-130 planes requested are “to defend the skies against 300 planes, which is the number of planes that Russia uses in Ukraine,” he said.
“We need this fleet made up of such a number of F16s to have parity,” he added.