Russia-Ukraine War: Zelenskyy Says Ukraine, West, Can Make Russia's Defeat 'Irreversible' This Year

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that Kyiv and its allies in the West could give Russia an “irreversible” defeat as the war continues for nearly 15 months. Zelenskyy also thanked Germany for its continued support during his visit to Berlin.

On Sunday, during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Zelenskyy thanked Berlin for its continued support for Ukraine as it pushes back against invading Russian forces. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will always be grateful to Germany.

“Now is the time for us to determine the end of the war already this year, we can make the aggressor’s defeat irreversible already this year,” said Zelenskyy during the joint conference.

Zelenskyy added that Kyiv was ready to discuss outside peace initiatives from other countries, but such proposals should also be in line with Ukraine’s position and its peace plan. Ukraine has long ruled out making any territorial concessions to Russia and said that it wants every inch of its territory back, including Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Russia also claims to have annexed four other Ukrainian territories that it now refers to as Russian land.

“This war is happening on the territory of our country and so- any peace plan will be based on Ukraine’s proposals,” said Zelenskyy.

The British defense ministry said on Monday that last week, drones struck the Russian air base in Seshcha, which is 150 kilometers north of the border region Russia shares with Ukraine. The drone attack damaged a transport aircraft of the Russian Military Transport Aviation. The ministry noted that Seshcha is considered a depot for the VTA in Western Russia and has played a key role in enabling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

“Russia also uses the site to launch Iranian-produced one-way-attack UAVs towards Kyiv,” said the ministry. The ministry added that the VTA is considered a “well-resourced element” of the Russian Air Force, which is crucial for transport across the country.

“Russian leaders will be concerned that Russia’s air defenses continue to be compromised, holding at risk key strategic assets such as VTA bases,” said the ministry.

Photo by President.gov.ua/Wikimedia Commons(CC by 2.0)