Zelenskyy: Ukraine will return all its territories, and not only with weapons
The return of all Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia is Ukraine’s goal, but not all of these seized lands will be returned by force of arms.
This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the German tabloid Bild.
Ukraine’s goal is to preserve the state
According to him, the return of all Ukrainian territories is the goal of the state, as it will be one of the manifestations of justice.
– “I’m not saying that all the territory with weapons, as I told you. I think it’s a long way to go. I do not want to sound too optimistic, but I will be realistic now,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the main goal of Ukraine is to preserve a democratic and independent state as part of Europe and a member of the European Union.
– If we want to preserve this, we need to regain our independence. It’s not just about the territory. We need to create the conditions for people to come back. This means that all investors and global businesses must believe in Ukraine and its future. This means the absence of any frozen conflict,” the President said.
Returning Ukraine’s territories: not only with weapons
When asked by a journalist whether the President of Ukraine believes in the possibility of returning Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea after the Armed Forces’ counter-offensive in 2023 was not as successful as expected, Zelenskyy replied that it was not just about using weapons.
The President reminded that Ukraine has not lost the war, although he admitted that last year’s offensive was “not so successful”.
– Yes, we did not get the result we wanted. And you are right about that. There are many reasons for this: our reasons, yes, but the understaffing of our brigades is also a reason. The third reason is that the Russians knew where we were going. Absolutely. I cannot tell you why they knew, where all this information came from. History will sort it out in any case,” he said.
At the same time, the Ukrainian leader stressed that Ukraine’s offensive in 2023 had its successes:
– “There is also a positive – what we did in the Black Sea. It was positive, and this work in the Black Sea was successful. We built an alternative grain corridor and destroyed a lot of the Russian fleet. Is this a great success, all this? No, on the one hand, but on the other hand, the fact that Ukraine has survived is a great success. And so, how can I answer your question about whether we will be able to regain the entire territory? Hybrid war and hybrid victory. This does not mean that only with weapons in hand we need to return the territory,” he said.
Earlier, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was planning a counter-offensive, and that the Armed Forces’ offensive would be more successful in the future.
