Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that European countries should prepare for the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin will deploy his troops on the territory of Belarus and threaten Poland or the Baltic republics from there, BTA writes.
The Ukrainian leader said this after a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, a journalist for the Ukrinform agency reports.
„With Putin's ambitions and what we see today, how he is doing everything not to stop this war, it is a fact that he will go further. He will cast an eye on other countries. I am sure of this. I warn about this absolutely openly and sincerely. You will see that he will provoke other countries. Maybe the next one will be Poland or the Baltic republics. And this is not just another piece of rhetoric. You will see that in the spring, summer or autumn he will deploy forces on the territory of Belarus. And many Europeans, and maybe the United States, will say that this is intimidation of Poland, Lithuania, our other Baltic partners. But you will see that he will do everything to involve them, he will think of how to provoke them. I do not know whether there will be an invasion, but in any case he will involve Belarus in a war in this way,“, Zelensky said.
He added that in his opinion, after Ukraine was attacked with missiles from the territory of Belarus, this country is already at war.
“Their people - they are not, and their army - they are not yet, but Putin really wants this. And that is why I believe that everything must be done to stop it,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky predicted that the ongoing operation of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Russian Kursk region will become an important part of the negotiation process. He said this in response to a question from an Ukrinform journalist.
„Tomorrow it will be exactly six months since we started our operation in the Kursk sector. A very important operation. You will see, after we reach the stage of a diplomatic settlement of the war, what conditions the Russians will put before Ukraine regarding the Kursk sector. This was a very important step. I do not like to use words like „historical“. After all, the whole life and struggle of Ukraine is certainly a historical path, so I will not use this word in relation to the operation. However, it was definitely very important. And I am grateful to all the soldiers who are defending our territory, also thanks to the Kursk operation,” Zelensky said.
He stressed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine “maintain a stable situation and will continue to do so.”
“The Russians are suffering really big losses there. They are greatly underestimating them. Their Koreans (North Korean soldiers - ed. Ukrinform) are fleeing, we see it,” the president said.
He also noted that several important targets in the Kursk region were hit using long-range weapons.
“We hit several really important military control points. And these are very serious steps. They are important. And I think they will not be able to push us out of this territory soon, and this, like a magnet, keeps 60,000 of their soldiers in this area today“, said the leader of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president also emphasized that the operation in the Kursk region allowed the situation in the Kharkiv region to stabilize, and that in the Zaporizhia direction to improve.
Describing the effect of the Kursk operation, Zelensky noted: “Today we control the situation in the Kharkiv region and in some areas in the east in the Donetsk region, but it is most difficult in the Donetsk region. It is important to maintain control over the situation in Zaporizhia region, where it has improved“.
As an example, he cited the situation with the rotations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) missions on the bridge, which was previously controlled by the Russians.
“The Russians slowed down the rotations of the IAEA mission because we have advanced. They want to continue the rotation on the same bridge. For this purpose, our troops will have to withdraw. Of course, they will not do it. Because all these steps forward cost us dearly“, Zelensky stressed.
At the same time, he noted that the situation in the Donetsk region remains difficult.
“Of course, it is most difficult in the Pokrovskoye and Kurakhovo directions, since the enemy has gathered all its forces there. This is where they are still successful [...] Our soldiers are trying to do everything possible to undermine this initiative, which the enemy currently retains precisely in the east. This is the only place where they still maintain an initiative,“ the Ukrainian president noted.
He added that the Ukrainian command understands where the Russians “are trying to carry out counteroffensive actions, where they are massing troops“.
“The main thing is to understand and prepare“, Zelensky said.
Ukraine continues to receive military aid from the United States, but the possibility of future packages is not being discussed at the moment, Zelensky said, quoted by Reuters.
“There is no reduction in US support at the moment. It has not stopped, it continues“, he told reporters in Kiev after a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Washington has been one of the largest providers of military aid to Kiev since the start of a full-scale Russian invasion almost three years ago.
However, new US President Donald Trump has regularly criticized the scale of US aid provided to Kiev. Reuters sources said that US arms deliveries to Ukraine were recently briefly suspended before being resumed last weekend.
Zelensky said it was “too early“ to discuss new military aid packages.
Asked about Ukraine's ability to fight without US help, he said that the suspension of supplies would seriously affect the country's defense capabilities.
“We will be weaker, and whether we will hold out - I am not sure“, added Zelensky, quoted by Ukrinfor.
At the same time, the Ukrainian UNIAN agency wrote today that US allies expect the Trump administration to present a plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine during the Munich Security Conference, which will be held at the end of next week. UNIAN refers to information from the “Bloomberg” agency. According to the American media, the plan will be presented by Trump's special representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.
“The elements include potentially freezing the conflict and leaving the territory occupied by Russia in an indefinite state, while providing Ukraine with security guarantees to ensure that Moscow cannot attack it again“, says the article of the American media, quoted by UNIAN.“
Kellogg himself today confirmed his plans to attend the forum in Munich. “I will meet with America's allies who are ready to work with us“, he wrote on the social network “Ex“.