‘Our victory depends on you’ Zelensky makes impassioned plea to West as he admits Ukraine has lost 31,000 soldiers
VOLODYMYR Zelensky made an impassioned plea to the West as he admitted that Ukraine has lost more than 30,000 soldiers in its war against Russia.
Ukraine‘s president spoke at an event for mark the second anniversary by Vladimir Putin‘s invasion – which led to the largest war in Europe since World War II.
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The 46-year-old former actor – who has won many admirers thanks to his steely determination – was candid and candid when he told his Western allies that Ukraine’s victory “depends on them”.
Zelensky also admitted for the first time the death toll among his troops: around 31,000.
He immediately responded to the claims spread by him Russia that Ukraine had lost hundreds of thousands of troops.
Kiev claims Russia has lost far more than them, with a sky-high figure of almost 410,000.
It would bring the losing ratio between Ukraine and Russia to more than ten to one.
And while the truth about the figures from both sides has not been verified, it is known that Moscow has far more manpower than Kiev.
Two years after the start of the war, the trench- and mud-strewn fields of eastern Ukraine are in near stalemate.
But the longer the war drags on, the more important Putin’s vast collection of bodies and resources comes into play.
Zelsnky said: “Whether Ukraine will lose, whether it will be very difficult for us and whether there will be a large number of casualties depends on you, on our partners, on the Western world.”
He spoke at a time when Ukraine has been weakened by a shortage of ammunition and the blocking of US aid in Congress.
“There is hope for Congress, and I am sure it will be positive, otherwise I do not understand the world we are going to live in,” Zelensky said.
The aid has been blocked due to resistance from Republicans.
It comes amid growing fears that the US elections in November and Donald Trump‘S position on intervention abroad Ukraine can make or break.
But Zelensky also took aim at the EU, claiming that Ukraine has received only 30 percent of the one million artillery shells that Brussels had promised.
Zelensky also claimed that Ukraine’s long-awaited counter-offensive was stalled last year by intelligence leaks.
He added that his military leaders are preparing “several plans” for a breakthrough year in 2024.
And he also predicted that the Russians will likely launch another major offensive in Ukraine as early as May.
The scars of the war in Ukraine
MOLFAR, Ukraine’s leading military and intelligence think tank, spoke to The Sun about the debilitating consequences of war on the ground in Ukraine.
Artem Starosiek, CEO and founder, said that when the first anniversary passed in February 2023, many Ukrainians were crushed.
“As one year passed, many people felt tired, I think… we understand that this is not a short war, but a marathon.”
A year later he says the same is true, but they persist.
“We still want to win. To still fight,” he said.
But they desperately need Western support to maintain morale and gain the upper hand on the battlefield.
Starosiek said: “The many Ukrainian soldiers who are dying… because of the lack of Western support and because we did not receive ammunition in time.”
In a chilling reminder of where Ukraine is now, he said: “After two years of war, everyone in Ukraine has had a family member who is fighting or who has died after this war.”
And General Barrons pointed out that the Ukrainian “father army”, where the average age of a front-line soldier is 43, is tired.
‘Those soldiers are on the front line 48 weeks a year. That’s very hard, and it’s winter and they’re tired.
“The scars of war will run deep and far, and what we must remember is in the interests of European security.”
Zelensky estimated Ukraine’s military losses in the two years of brutal fighting with Russia, saying: “31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in this war.”
He added: “Not 300,000 or 150,000, or whatever Putin and his lying circle say.
“But each of these losses is a big loss for us.”
When asked if he would talk to Putin, Zelensky said: “Can you talk to a deaf person? Can you talk to a man who kills his opponents?”
Putin’s main opponent Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic region jail this month.
“He sees himself (in power) in 2030, we would like to be done with him sooner,” Zelensky added.
He mocked Russia’s upcoming presidential elections, which are likely to extend Putin’s long rule until 2030.
In the meantime, Rishi Sunak has called on the United States to continue providing “bolder” military support to Ukraine.
In The Sunday Times, the Prime Minister also said that Ukraine’s allies should take advantage of this money obtained through Russian sanctions and funds to finance Ukrainian defense.
Britain has pledged to invest £245 million in the production of artillery shells for Ukraine and £8.5 million in humanitarian funding as the conflict enters its third year.
American president Joe Biden continues to struggle to secure support for further military aid amid partisan wrangling in Congress.
Mr Sunak said: “We should never underestimate what America has done for Ukraine and for Euro-Atlantic security.
“I urge them to continue that support, and I am confident they will.”
“We need to be bolder with our military support and provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons drones and more ammunition.
“We must be bolder in hitting Russia’s war economy. Our collective sanctions have deprived Russia of $400 billion for its war effort – enough to finance the invasion for another four years.”
Mr Sunak also suggested that Ukraine’s allies should try to redistribute the money taken from Russia or its citizens directly to the war effort.
He continued: “We must be braver in seizing the hundreds of billions frozen Russian possessions.
“That starts with taking the billions in interest that these assets collect and sending them to Ukraine.
‘And then with the G7we need to find legal ways to seize the assets ourselves and also get those funds to Ukraine.”
Putin only expected the war to last a few weeks, but has instead been bogged down in the biggest European war since. world War 2.
The Russian forces anticipated a march towards Kiev and would be greeted with flying flags, but instead they were repulsed by the heroic Ukrainians.
Putin’s brutal forces tried to plunder their way through the country, killing and raping civilians – killing more than 10,000.
And about two years later, the war has continued and is now stuck in the far east of the country.
Russian troops occupy less than 20 percent of Ukraine.
However, the situation remains fragile – and there are fears that Ukraine’s valiant defense could crumble if the country loses support in the West.
