Zelensky’s press conference: “We are ready to plow 24/7”

On the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky gave a large press conference for journalists from different countries. The conference was held under the motto “Year of Invincibility”. Zelensky did not make a speech, he immediately started answering questions.

First of all, Zelensky thanked the journalists of Ukraine and the whole world for covering the war in Ukraine for an hour, risking their lives. He offered to observe a minute of silence in memory of the members of the press who died in Ukraine.

The first question was asked by a CNN correspondent. She asked why Zelensky said that the war would end with the victory of Ukraine in 2023. Zelensky replied that such an outcome is possible with the support of international partners. He emphasized that no country in the world, with the exception of the United States, would be able to resist such a large-scale aggression, but the aggression can be stopped with the joint efforts of partners.

The correspondent of Ukrainian ICTV asked how the military command intends to deal with the “war of attrition”, as some experts call the current phase of the war. Zelensky replied that Ukraine already offers a political way out of the situation: at the G20 summit, the country presented a “peace formula”, he offered his vision of conflict resolution. It assumes security guarantees not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole of Europe.

A Mexican television journalist was interested in what Zelensky could say to those countries that did not support Ukraine at the UN. The President replied that 141 states support Ukraine at the UN. In relation to those who are against or neutral, Ukraine is working: it expands the diplomatic presence, promotes initiatives to supply poor countries with grain and other products from Ukraine. Zelensky mentioned that he would like to expand contacts with African states, and that he plans to hold a summit with Latin American countries. He emphasized that in the last 30 years, Ukrainian diplomacy paid too little attention to these continents, and this must be corrected. “I don’t have a crown, I don’t have it,” said the Ukrainian president. “We are ready to plow 24/7 to correct this mistake.”

Zelensky criticized the work of international organizations, such as the Red Cross and the OSCE, in relation to humanitarian missions. He mentioned that even before the start of the full-scale invasion, they were unable to fully ensure the observance of human rights in relation to Ukrainian citizens. According to Zelensky, the Red Cross still cannot obtain access to Ukrainian prisoners of war, and 120 Crimean Tatar activists are considered political prisoners and are in Russian prisons. According to Zelenskyi, most of the international humanitarian institutions faced aggression of this scale for the first time, and the war showed their weak points, so they should be reformed after the war.

The Sky News channel asked how Zelensky sees Ukraine’s victory: on the battlefield or at the negotiating table. The President of Ukraine replied that diplomatic steps will be possible only after the ceasefire on the Russian side. He mentioned that more than 20 countries have already increased their defense budgets, he understood what can be expected from Russia. “After all this, how can we sit down at the negotiating table?” Zelensky asked. “Stop killing us, our military, civilians, children, dogs and cats – then we will talk diplomatically.”

The publication “Ukrainskaya Pravda” asked the president several questions about whether he made mistakes, what he was disappointed by, and what day was the worst for him. Zelensky answered that he was disappointed by those Ukrainians who left the country at the beginning of the war instead of fighting. He admitted that he made many mistakes “like any living person.” The Ukrainian leader called the day of his trip to liberated Bucha, where he saw the consequences of war crimes allegedly committed by Russian troops, the most terrible day of the war. “The appearance of the devil on earth,” is how Zelensky described what he saw.

• On February 24, the anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky also held an extended meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. He said that the situation in the east of Ukraine remains the most tense.