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“It’s not a deadlock, it’s a problematic situation,” he said. “A deadlock means there’s no way out. But a problem can be solved if one has the will and has the tools. We do have the will, and the tools – they haven’t arrived yet.”
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine’s president, during an interview in Kyiv.Credit: Bloomberg
As the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion goes well into its third year, dwindling stockpiles of weapons and ammunition among Ukrainian forces have been exploited by Russia’s military, which has made incremental gains since the beginning of the year.
While Zelensky lauded the $US61 billion assistance package approved by the US Congress this year — after a six-month long delay — he said the equipment was taking too long to make its way to the front.
“This is the biggest tragedy of this war, that between the decision and real fact, we have a real long, long, long wait,” Zelensky said.
NATO allies agreed Wednesday they should aim to provide at least €40 billion ($64 billion) in military aid for Ukraine per year, but refrained from explicit pledges for the years ahead, according to alliance diplomats.
An elderly injured man waits for medical treatment after Russia’s missile attack in Dnipro, Ukraine.Credit: AP
The Ukrainian leader also said China could play a “tremendous role” in resolving the conflict, since Moscow is so dependent on its market for exports. He suggested that the US and China, should they put aside differences, could act together to end the war.
But a day after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban — on his first trip to Kyiv during the war — urged Zelensky to consider a cease-fire, the Ukrainian leader rejected the notion. He said that those pitching for such a scenario have failed to articulate how a ceasefire would work.
“Nobody has an answer,” Zelensky said. “I’m not accusing, I’m just explaining.”
A Russian missile and drone strike killed at least five people and wounded 53 in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Wednesday.
Footage filmed by a scared onlooker and published by Zelensky on his Telegram messaging app showed a large explosion in the sky followed by a fireball shooting off towards the ground.
“Inside, everything is damaged, outside everything is also damaged. I’ve got jitters on my body, my hands ... it’s all very complicated and scary,” Olha, the manager of a cafe that was hit, told Reuters.
She said some of her staff had been wounded and were concussed.
Georgyi, an elderly man with a bandaged nose and bloodied face, told Reuters: “There was such a strong explosion that the wave hit me and I fell.”