The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that during the war, the country needs a strong army, a strong president and a strong people, and that any pressure on the Ukrainian leadership will be met with a response. In an interview with the American television channel ABC News, broadcast on 23 October, the head of state also spoke of insufficient support from the US, a shortage of Patriot missiles and a willingness to cease hostilities along the current front line without recognising the occupied territories as Russian.
- Zelenskyy stated that, during the war, Ukraine cannot afford to have a weak president.
- The President acknowledged that he does not feel he has sufficient support from the US.
- Over the past three months, Ukraine has received just 24 Patriot interceptor missiles from the US.
- Kyiv is prepared to cease hostilities along the current front line.
- According to Zelenskyy, the Starshield military communications system is still operating with restrictions.
Zelenskyy explained why Ukraine needs a strong president
During an interview with ABC News Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the tensions in relations with the US President Donald Trump and explained his strong reaction to political pressure.
According to the Head of State, the current circumstances require the Ukrainian leadership to act decisively, even if such a stance does not always sit well with international partners.
«Ukraine cannot afford a weak president right now. Perhaps after the war — any president will do. But right now, if Ukraine is to survive, it needs a strong army, a strong president and a strong people,» Zelenskyy emphasised.
The President stated that he had no intention of letting the pressure on him go unanswered.
«Otherwise, they’ll eat us. I mean the Russians,» he explained.
Zelenskyy acknowledged that he can sometimes be less than diplomatic in his remarks, but emphasised the need to speak frankly with partners about problems.
Zelenskyy said that support from the US was insufficient
A separate section of the interview was devoted to Ukraine’s relations with the United States and the latest decisions by Donald Trump’s administration.
When asked by a journalist whether he felt betrayed by his American partners, Zelenskyy did not use that term. At the same time, he acknowledged that he felt a lack of support.
Commenting on Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian president noted that this was a personal choice on the part of the American leader. In his view, relations between the US and Russian presidents have developed quite well.
Despite their differences, Zelenskyy emphasised that he is grateful to the United States for its support of Ukraine and is keen to maintain the partnership.
He also emphasised that, when dealing with Trump, he tries to be straightforward and not hide his position.
In 90 days, Ukraine has received just 24 Patriot missiles
One of the main topics of the interview was the shortage of interceptor missiles for air defence.
Zelenskyy said that Over the last three months, Ukraine has received only 24 missiles from the United States for Patriot systems. At the same time, according to the President’s assessment, the country needs an average of 350 such interceptors per month to provide effective defence against Russian attacks.
The Head of State cited the example of yet another a massive attack on Kyiv, stating that 30 Russian ballistic missiles, which, according to him, reached the capital in the space of a single night. The number of missiles mentioned in the statement and during the interview differs.
The problem is exacerbated by delays in the supply of American weapons. When asked whether the US was preventing its European allies from supplying missiles to Ukraine, Zelenskyy replied that Washington had not signed the relevant agreement.
Ukraine is prepared to bring the war to a halt along the current front line
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed Kyiv’s readiness to conclude a peace agreement and cease hostilities along the current line of contact.
At the same time, he ruled out the possibility of the occupied Ukrainian territories being legally recognised as part of Russia.
The President stressed that Russian troops currently control approximately 19.3% of Ukraine’s territory. According to him, proposals to accept the loss of 25% would effectively mean Ukrainian troops abandoning further territories in the Donbas.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is prepared to bring the war to an end as soon as possible by declaring a ceasefire along the current line of contact; however, this does not entail relinquishing sovereignty over the occupied territories.
Zelenskyy commented on the restrictions on Starshield and the sharing of intelligence
The President also stated that the satellite communications system Starshield, which is used by the Ukrainian military, is still operating with restrictions. According to him, although the communication system is functioning, technical limitations remain.
Zelenskyy was asked separately whether Putin might have asked Trump to restrict the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine. The President replied that he was not aware of this, but hoped that no such request had been made.
Zelenskyy had previously reported disruptions in receiving warnings about Russian ballistic missile launches. Following talks with the US, the relevant exchange of information has been resumed.
At the same time, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that Washington had suspended or altered the transfer of intelligence data to Ukraine.
Consequently, despite the restoration of some critically important mechanisms for cooperation, the issues of military communications and missile supplies remain the subject of negotiations between Kyiv and Washington.
