Russia plotting another push in Ukraine - Zelensky
The Ukrainian forces were able to stabilize the situation at the front lines, however, it is likely that Russia is preparing another offensive in the near future.
President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of this in an interview with CBS News.
The situation at the front was stabilized with the approach of spring but winter months were challenging for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zelensky said.
"We have stabilized the situation. It is better than it used to be two or three months ago when we had a big deficit of artillery ammunition, different kinds of weapons," he said, "We totally didn't see the big, huge counteroffensive from Russia... They didn't have success," said Zelensky.
He noted that the Russian army completely destroyed a number of towns and villages in Ukraine enjoying a seemingly endless supply of missiles and shells. The Ukrainian military is not prepared to defend against another major Russian offensive expected in the coming months.
"We didn't have rounds, artillery rounds, a lot of different things," he said.
The president stated that Ukraine needs help immediately as Russia is expected to attempt another major offensive around the end of May or in June.
"And before that, we not only need to prepare, we not only need to stabilize the situation, because the partners are sometimes really happy that we have stabilized the situation," Zelensky said of the U.S. and Ukraine's other backers. "No, I say we need help now."
In what has become a grinding artillery war of attrition, Russia not only has the upper hand with more firepower, but also firepower with a longer reach.
"In Bakhmut and Avdivka and Lysychansk and Soledar and so on, it was really hard to fight the adversary, whose artillery shell can fire 20-plus kilometers, and [our] artillery shell is 20-minus," he said.
In addition, Zelensky acknowledged that the war in the Gaza Strip had shifter international focus — and U.S. aid — away from Ukraine.
Zelensky warned that, if Ukraine loses, Putin will not stop there. Russia's war "can come to Europe, and to the United States".
"For him, we are a satellite of Russian Federation. At the moment, it's us, then Kazakhstan, then Baltic states, then Poland, then Germany. At least half of Germany," he said.
According to the president, Putin is determined to restore the former USSR, its imperial glory, and its geographical borders.
"Even tomorrow, the missiles can fly to any state," the Ukrainian leader said.
"This aggression, and Putin's army, can come to Europe, and then the citizens of the United States, the soldiers of the United States, will have to protect Europe because they're the NATO members," said the Ukrainian president.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, after the loss of warships in the Black Sea to Ukrainian strikes, Russia is redeploying part of their fleet to Novorossiysk.