“I have heard these rumors that it will take us months to train our troops to use new tanks. “Okay, give us a Soviet-era tank,” Zelensky said in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. “We are ready to use all kinds of equipment, but it must be delivered very quickly. And we have the ability to learn how to use new equipment. But it must come quickly.
Zelensky said in an interview with the president’s office in Kyiv that weapons provided by the United States and other countries so far, including a new $ 800 million security aid package to the Biden administration, have helped his country withstand the Russian invasion. . But he said more would be needed and his country’s trainers would be able to direct his forces quickly.
“I have heard many times from some countries that they do not want to give us fast weapons because our soldiers are not technically ready to use them,” he added. “But the instructors of such equipment, our instructors, will prepare our troops to fight in them. If it’s an airplane, for example, pilots can be ready in two weeks. Whether it’s kamikaze drones, artillery, howitzers or (missile with multiple launches) MLRS systems, we have a lot of smart people for them. We had training with NATO countries. “
Zelensky’s interview with CNN comes as Russia prepares for a new phase in the war after failing to take Kyiv. Russian forces are preparing to step up their offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine, including Mariupol. Ukrainian forces have rejected Russia’s ultimatum to surrender in Mariupol on Sunday. In an interview, Zelensky said Ukraine would not cede territory to eastern Russia and was ready to fight, while warning that the world must be prepared for the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons.
Zelenski promised that the forces in Mariupol would not surrender
Zelensky told CNN that Ukrainian forces remaining in the besieged city of Mariupol would not surrender to Russia, saying he did not believe Russia would allow people to leave Mariupol unharmed.
“They say they are ready to release all the military if they surrender. But they will not give up. They do not want to do that, and that is why the situation is complicated and tragic, because the military does not want to surrender. “And without that, the Russians are not ready to let them go,” Zelensky said. “When you can agree with the Russians to let them go unarmed, but then they will shoot them. That’s why no one trusts Russia now.”
Zelensky added that Ukraine wants to take the wounded from Mariupol, but Russian forces do not allow them.
“We wanted to take the wounded. We said it was a humanitarian mission. Give us back the wounded,” he said. “We have even made plans for Turkey to mediate and receive the wounded, civilians and military. They don’t let them go because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot them. “
“We wanted to take the wounded. We said it was a humanitarian mission. Give us back the wounded!” he said. “We have even made plans for Turkey to mediate and receive the wounded, civilians and military. They don’t let them go because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot them. “
The situation in Mariupol is grim. Much of the city was destroyed by Russian shelling. Targeted civilian structures include a maternity hospital and a theater, where up to 1,300 people seek refuge.
Although many have fled, approximately 100,000 people still remain in the city and its immediate surroundings, which are reported to be largely under Russian control.
Zelensky urged European countries to stop Russian oil. Asked about Russian fuel flowing through pipelines in Ukraine, Zelensky said: “Yes, we understand this problem.”
“We know how much money Russia makes from energy. And yes, first of all, we are calling for an oil embargo because they make 1 billion a day from oil. And we are calling for a gas embargo after that, “Zelenski said. “And we are fighting together and considering these options. But this is transit. We have a transit agreement. That is why we need to have an agreement between Europe and Russia so that they have an embargo on gas supplies. And then there will be no transit. “
Zelensky added that Russian forces had turned to Ukrainian gas pipelines to try to convince European countries that they could not rely on Ukraine.
“This is Russia’s goal. “They are trying to act in this way to show that Ukraine is not able to supply gas safely,” Zelensky said. “They have been doing it for some time because they want the opportunity to reopen Nord Stream 2. And we are constantly watching him. I have already talked about this with our European partners, I do not want to say what kind of leaders I have talked to. I told them, please, impose an embargo on gas, please. We are ready to lose money. Money is not the most important thing for us. People are most important. “
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