Zelensky says war not ‘at stalemate,’ contrasting recent statement by Ukraine’s commander-in-chief

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky says he doesn’t consider the situation on the front to be at a stalemate, according to a statement he made at a press conference with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, commenting on an interview the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi gave to The Economist.

“This situation is not a stalemate. Russia controls the sky. We are protecting our military. No one wants to just throw people away as if they were meat, like Russia does. […] How to overcome this? F-16s have to wait until the guys are trained, until they come back. When there are air defenses at the front, soldiers move forward, and use the equipment,” said the president of Ukraine.

Zelensky recalled that everyone thought that Ukrainian forces would end up in a stalemate in 2022. “A few military tricks and you remember, the Kharkiv region was liberated,” said the Ukrainian President.

We don’t have the right to give up. What’s the alternative? What, we need to give away a third of our country? That would only be the beginning. We know what a frozen conflict is, we’ve already drawn our conclusions. We need to work more with our air defense partners, unblock the skies, and give our fighters the possibility to carry out offensive operations.

Zelensky also said that Western countries aren’t pressuring him to start negotiations with Russia.

Everyone knows my stance, which aligns with the stance of Ukrainian society. No one is pressuring me now. That was all at the beginning of the war and before it started. Now, none of the E.U. or U.S. leaders are pressuring me. For us to now sit down with Russia, discuss, and give something away — that won’t happen.