The Ukrainian army, faced with the need to find volunteers, proposed mobilizing “between 450,000 and 500,000 people” to continue fighting against the Russian invasion, the president of Ukraine said on Tuesday, although he admitted that he has not yet made a decision. .
The military command “proposed the mobilization of between 450,000 and 500,000 people,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, during a press conference in Kiev, adding that he needed “more arguments to support this idea” because it was a “very important number.”
At the same press conference, Zelensky praised “a great victory” of the Ukrainian army over Russia in the Black Sea, which made it possible to establish a “sea corridor” for the export of goods since August.
“This is integrated into our operation in the south,” the Ukrainian leader continued, also recalling the threats of Russian bombing and the alleged maritime superiority of the Russian fleet.
Zelensky also announced that Ukraine will receive “several” new Patriot anti-aircraft systems.
“I won’t give the number, but several Patriot systems will be sent to Ukraine to protect our country during the winter,” he said, at a time when kyiv is concerned about a reduction in Western military aid.
In reference to the internal situation of the United States, until now kyiv’s main ally, Zelensky stated that he believes that the United States “will never betray Ukraine”, but admitted that a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House (US Presidency), less than a year before the 2024 US presidential elections, could have “a strong impact” on the development of the conflict.
“If the policy of the next president, whoever it is, is different towards Ukraine, colder or more economical, then I think these signals will have a very strong impact on the course of the war,” he declared, after admitting that Trump will lead “without doubt a different policy”.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 of last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).
Ukraine’s Western allies have supplied weapons to kyiv and passed successive sanctions packages against Russian interests to try to diminish Moscow’s ability to finance the war effort.
Source: TSF
