Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is committed to pressing for peace despite Russian attacks on civilians that have shocked the world, and renewed his call for more weapons ahead of an expected increase in fighting in the east of the country. He made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press a day after at least 52 people were killed in an attack on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, and as evidence of murders of civilians it came to light after Russian troops failed to seize the capital where he took refuge, Kiev.
“No one wants to negotiate with a person or people who tortured this nation. Everything is understandable. And as a man, as a father, I understand this very well,” Zelensky said. But “we don't want to miss opportunities, if we have them, for a diplomatic solution”.
Dressed in the monotonous green t-shirt that marked his transformation into a wartime leader, he seemed visibly exhausted but encouraged by an urge to persevere. He spoke to the AP inside the presidential office complex, where windows and corridors are protected by sandbag towers and heavily armed soldiers.
“We have to fight, but fight for life. You can't fight for dust when there's nothing and no people. That's why it's important to stop this war,” Zelensky said.
Russian troops that withdrew from northern Ukraine are now regrouping for what is expected to be an intensified push in the eastern Donbas region, including the besieged port city of Mariupol that Ukrainian fighters are striving to defend.
The president said that those defenders are binding “a large part of the enemy forces”, characterizing the battle to keep Mariupol as “the heart of the war” at this time.
“It's a beating. We're fighting. We're strong. And if it stops beating, we'll be in a weaker position,” he said.
Zelensky said he is confident that Ukrainians will accept peace despite the horrors they have witnessed in the war that lasted more than six weeks.
Among them were appalling images of civilian bodies found in courtyards, parks and city squares and buried in mass graves in the Kiev suburb of Bucha after Russian troops withdrew. Ukrainian and Western leaders have accused Moscow of war crimes.
Russia has falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged. He also blamed Ukraine for the attack on the train station in Kramatorsk, as thousands of people rushed to flee before an expected Russian offensive.
Despite hopes for peace, Zelensky acknowledged that he must be “realistic” about the prospects for a speedy resolution, given that negotiations so far have been limited to low-level talks that do not include Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky showed a palpable sense of resignation and frustration when asked whether the supplies of weapons and other equipment his country has received from the United States and other Western nations were enough to turn the tide of war.
“Not yet,” he said, switching to English for emphasis. “Of course it's not enough.”
Still, he noted that there has been greater support from Europe and said that US arms deliveries have accelerated.
Just this week, neighboring European Union member Slovakia donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system to Ukraine in response to Zelensky's call to help “close the skies” to Russian fighter jets and missiles.
Some of that support has come through visits from European leaders.
After meeting with Zelensky in Kiev earlier Saturday, Austrian Foreign Minister Karl Nehammer said he expects further EU sanctions against Russia, even while defending his country's opposition to cutting off Russian natural gas deliveries.
The United States, the EU and the United Kingdom responded to Bucha's images with more sanctions, including those aimed at Putin's adult daughters. While the EU first pursued the Russian energy sector by banning coal, it has so far failed to agree to cut off the much more lucrative oil and natural gas that is financing Putin's war chest. Europe relies on these supplies to generate electricity, fill fuel tanks and keep industry agitated.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also paid an unannounced visit to meet with Zelensky, and his office said they discussed Britain's “long-term support”.
In Kiev on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented Ukraine's leader with a questionnaire marking the first step in applying for EU membership. The head of the bloc's executive arm said the process to complete the questionnaire could take weeks, an unusually rapid change, although securing membership would take much longer.
Zelensky became introspective when asked what impact the pace of arms deliveries had on his people and whether more lives could have been saved if aid had come earlier.
“Very often we look for answers in another person, but I often look for answers in myself. Did we do enough to get them?” , he said about the weapons. “Did we do enough to make these leaders believe in us? Did we do enough?”
He paused and shook his head.
“Are we the best for this place and this time? Who knows? I don't know. You question yourself,” he said.
(with information from AP)
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