“I’ve heard these stories that we would need months to train our soldiers to use the new tanks. OK, give us a Soviet-era tank, ”Zelensky said in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. “We are prepared to use any type of equipment, but it has to be delivered very quickly. And we have the opportunity to learn how to use the new equipment. But it has to happen quickly. ” Zelensky said in an interview with the president’s office in Kiev that the weapons that the US and other countries have provided so far, including the new $ 800 million Biden administration security aid package, have helped his country resist Russia’s invasion. But he said more would be needed and his country’s coaches would be able to get his strength up quickly.
“I have heard many times from some countries that did not want to hand over the weapons to us quickly 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, the pilots could be ready in two weeks. Whether it’s Kamikaze drones, artillery, howitzers, or the MLRS system), we have very smart people for this. We have completed training with NATO countries.
Zelensky’s interview for CNN comes as Russia prepares for a new phase of the war following a failed attempt to capture Kiev. Russian forces are preparing to intensify the offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine, including in Mariupol. Ukrainian forces rejected Russia’s ultimatum to surrender in Mariupol on Sunday. In an interview, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine would not give Russia territory in the east and was ready to fight, while warning that the world should be prepared for the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons.
Zelensky swears that the forces in Mariupol will not give up
Zelenskiy 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 unscathed.
“They say they are ready to release the entire army if it surrenders. But they’re not going to give up. They do not want to do this and therefore it is a complicated and tragic situation because the military does not want to surrender. And without it, the Russians are not ready to let them go, ”Zelenski said. “When you can make a deal with the Russians to let them go unarmed, but then they will shoot them. That’s why no one trusts Russia now. “
Zelenskiy added that Ukraine wants to remove the wounded from Mariupol, but Russian forces do not allow them.
“We wanted to take the wounded. We talked about it being a humanitarian mission. Give us the wounded, ”he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to mediate and bring in the wounded, civilians and the military. They don’t release them because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot them. “
“We wanted to take the wounded. We talked about it being a humanitarian mission. Give us back the wounded! ” he said. “We even made plans for Turkey to mediate and bring in the wounded, civilians and the military. They don’t release them because we understand that Russia just wants to shoot them. “
The situation in Mariupol is gloomy. Much of the city was destroyed by Russian shelling. The targeted civil structures included a maternity hospital and a theater where up to 1,300 people sought refuge.
Although many of them fled, it is estimated that there are still around 100,000 people in the city and its immediate vicinity who are said to be largely under Russian control.
Zelensky pressed for European countries to cut off Russian oil. When asked about Russian fuel flowing through pipelines in Ukraine, Zelenskiy said, “Yes, we understand the problem.”
“We understand how much money Russia earns from energy carriers. And so, first and foremost, we are calling for an oil embargo because they earn a billion a day on oil. And then we call for a gas embargo, ”Zelenski said. “And we fight together and reflect on these options. But this is transit. We have a transit contract. That is why an agreement between Europe and Russia is necessary for them to have an embargo on gas supplies. there will be no transit. “
Zelenskiy added that Russian forces attacked Ukrainian gas pipelines in an attempt to suggest to European countries that they could not rely on Ukraine.
“This is what Russia is driving at. They are trying to act in this way to show that Ukraine is unable to safely deliver gas, ”Zelenskiy said. “They have been doing this, and have been doing it for some time, because they want the possibility of re-opening Nord Stream 2. And we are watching it all the time. I have already discussed this with our European partners, I do not want to say with which leaders I have spoken. I told them please put a gas embargo. We are ready to lose money. Money is not the most important thing for us. People are the most important. “