Zelensky press conference: key notes

Source: Bukvy

On December 19, president Volodymyr Zelensky gave a two-hour press conference, during which he answered a number of journalists’ questions, in particular, regarding the situation at the front, assistance from Western allies, the upcoming counteroffensive, and the need for further mobilization.

Bukvy offers key notes of the press conference.

• Drones: Ukraine plans to produce a million drones next year.
• Army: Military officials suggest further mobilization of up to 450,000 people.
• Russia’s goals: Russia has not achieved results on the battlefield this year.
• Prisoners of war: The work is underway to return a ‘significant part’ of prisoners of war held by Russia.
• Popularity: When asked if he is losing support among Ukrainians, Zelensky noted that it is ‘normal’ for the population to decide whether they like the way he serves Ukraine.
• Trump: If former US President Donald Trump wins the election in the United States, his ‘first signals’ to Ukraine will have a ‘very significant impact’ on the war.
• Israel-Hamas: the war in the Middle East definitely does not have a positive effect on Ukraine.
• Border blockade: Commenting on the situation on the Ukrainian-Polish border, president Zelensky said that he hopes the new Polish government will unblock the checkpoints.
• Negotiations: Russia has shown no desire to negotiate, only ‘an insolent willingness to kill’.
• Victory: Ukraine will consider the liberation of Crimea and the entire Donbas a victory in a full-scale war.
• Failure: Zelensky denied that Ukraine is on the verge of losing the war.
• Mobilization: The president announced that he is not going to sign the law on the mobilization of women.
• Conflict: Zelensky did not respond to a question about whether he plans to dismiss Valerii Zaluzhnyi and stated that he has a working relationship with Zaluzhnyi.
• Future counteroffensive: Zelensky explained that there were difficulties in the South because for months, everyone had been talking about where we were going.
• Western aid: Zelensky announced the amount of aid: Belgium — 1.7 billion, Denmark — 4.2 billion, Korea — 2.3 billion, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands — hundreds of millions, Norway — 7.5 billion, France — 2billion, Germany — 8 billion, Sweden — 0.5 billion, Japan — several billion.
• USA: The president xpressed confidence in the continued arrival of aid from the USA.
• NATO: Ukraine is not yet invited to the Alliance.
• Air defense: This winter is full of challenges. Several new Patriot systems will protect Ukraine from Russian missiles.