In a potential peace agreement with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has ruled out ceding any of his nation's territory.
He warned that ceding land would allow Russia to "keep coming back," while Western weapons would bring about peace in a BBC interview to commemorate a year since Russia's full-scale invasion.
Mr. Zelensky added that the anticipated spring offensive had already started.
Russian attacks are already occurring from a variety of angles, he claimed.
Although he reiterated his calls for more military assistance from the West, he does believe Ukraine's forces can continue to fend off Russia's advance until they are able to launch a counter-offensive.
Of course, new weapons hasten the era of peace. Russia only speaks the language of weapons, according to Mr. Zelensky, who spoke to the BBC.
He met with UK and EU leaders last week in an effort to increase support from abroad and request modern weapons to defend his nation. Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, responded, "nothing is off the table," when the president of Ukraine requested modern fighter jets.
However, Kyiv has grown increasingly frustrated with how quickly Western weapons have arrived. Battle tank deliveries, which were promised last month by a number of Western nations, including Germany, the US, and the UK, are still thought to be weeks away from reaching the front lines.
The Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko had threatened to go to war with Russian forces from his country if even one Ukrainian soldier crossed the border. President Zelensky also addressed this threat.
I hope Belarus stays out of the conflict, he said. We'll fight and survive if that happens. It would be a "huge mistake," he continued, "to permit Russia to use Belarus as a staging area for another attack.
A portion of the full-scale Russian invasion was started from Belarus 12 months ago. They advanced southward toward Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, but were repelled and forced to retreat after taking heavy casualties within weeks.
When asked if Russia's military strategy had surprised him, Mr. Zelensky referred to it as "valueless.".
"How they obliterated everything. The fact that their soldiers obeyed those orders indicates that they hold the same values. ".
Ukrainian data made public this week suggested that the number of deaths among Russian troops in Ukraine this month had surpassed all others since the first week of their invasion. The numbers cannot be confirmed, but the UK Ministry of Defense stated that the trends were "likely accurate.".
Mr. Zelensky stated that the key to our survival today is our ability to work together. "I think Ukraine is battling for its life. He claimed that both economically and morally, his nation was heading in the direction of Europe.
"We made this decision. We require security assurances. Any territorial concessions would weaken our state. ".
Compromise itself is not the issue, he continued. We make millions of trade-offs every day; why would we be afraid of that?
With Putin? No, that's not the question. because no one can be trusted. No dialogue with him. because no one can be trusted.
. "
