If Ukraine had been given seven Patriot systems, people would not have been killed – Zelenskyy addressed Ukraine’s Western partners
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Ukraine’s Western partners at a press conference in Riga, Latvia, on January 12, 2024, stating that if they provided Ukraine with more powerful air defense systems, people would not have been killed in the large-scale Russian attacks using ballistic missiles.
“How can you live and sleep peacefully when you realize that you have dozens of these systems [Patriots], and if you supplied Ukraine with seven systems today, people in Kharkiv, Kherson, and Odesa would not be killed? Is it possible to live a normal life with this knowledge on your conscience?” addressed the Ukrainian president to the countries.
Zelenskyy said he does not understand the attitudes of the West.
He also pointed out the delays in supplies of Western weaponry, noting that many Ukrainians are being killed while the Ukrainian forces wait for this aid.
Moreover, Zelenskyy explained that Ukraine has no major achievements at the front because of Russian air superiority over much of the country.
Besides criticising them, Zelenskyy also thanked Ukraine’s Western partners for the support they have managed to provide thus far.
“The situation at the front is very complicated; we lack weapons. And if the Russians did not control the sky, and we had enough air defence systems, then we would destroy their aircraft. We have tried and it works. When you destroy them in the sky, you advance. So far, Ukraine has made no major progress because they [the Russians] control the sky,” said the president.
He noted that currently, the Russian army is destroying Ukrainian cities to force the civilian residents to flee in order to avoid the mass civilian casualties previously seen in the battles over control of Bucha and Mariupol.
“They cannot completely destroy a city since they are afraid to repeat the Bucha massacre. The genocide. Because what happened in Bucha was a genocide. And in Mariupol too. They do not want to make such a ‘mistake’ once again. These are their words. So we understand that they are targeting cities to make people flee, to destroy everything after that and then enter,” he added.
Zelenskyy also emphasized it is necessary to avoid stalemating the war so that Russia does not have the opportunity to prepare a powerful counteroffensive.
We must prevent the conflict from freezing. We must not allow Russia to prepare for a powerful counteroffensive in a year, two years, three years, or five years. Not to let them do that... Not to let Russia become powerful again.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
According to the Ukrainian President, it is necessary to end the war before this happens. Zelenskyy warned that Russia is preparing for revenge, and Ukraine plans to prevent this. It is necessary to consolidate the societies of different states so that Ukraine’s plans coincide with the goals and capabilities of its partners.
According to a report from the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) and the Yermak-McFaul International Working Group, 44% of all electronic components imported by Russia for the production of weapons are developed by Western companies.
The majority of these components are produced by American companies, including Intel, Analog Devices, AMD, and Texas Instruments. Meanwhile, German company Siemens is the leading supplier of numerically controlled machine tools.
By way of background, 58 Ukrainians were killed, and more than 120 people were injured in the large-scale bombardment of Russians on the morning of December 29. On January 2 Russians killed at least five civilians, 129 injured throughout Ukraine.
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov has also reacted by calling on the world to provide Kyiv with more weapons to stop Russian aggression.
After the second massive Russian attack in the last four days, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba listed five urgent steps he is expecting from allies:
- Expedite the delivery of additional air defence systems and ammunition to Ukraine;
- Provide Ukraine with combat drones of all types;
- Provide Ukraine with long-range missiles of 300 kilometer+ range;
- Approve the use of frozen Russian assets for assisting Ukraine;
- Isolate Russian diplomats in relevant capitals and international organizations.
In a phone conversation on January 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that Russia has launched at least 500 missiles and drones at Ukraine over the past five days. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the UK’s “substantial and comprehensive” efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence.
2022 American ABS News had an opportunity to look into the letter from the Ukrainian government’s spokesman to the U.S. Congress, where the official had asked to support the further provision of Centurion C-RAM air defense systems to Ukraine.
The Centurion C-RAM is a “land-based” version of the Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS naval anti-aircraft artillery systems, which were designed to destroy anti-ship missiles. Unlike its “sea” predecessor, C-RAM can destroy not only cruise missiles, but also enemy’s drones and even unguided rockets.
The human rights community in Ukraine believes that the de-occupation of Crimea is necessary to stop the systematic and gross violations of human rights committed by the Russian Federation on the peninsula. They are urging other countries to support Ukraine with timely and sufficient supplies of weapons and military equipment.
Earlier at the international conference Global Crimea, Anton Korynevych, the ambassador-at-large of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on countries from all continents to join the coalition in order to create a special tribunal for Russia.
