Zelenskyy: End of war with Russia depends on allies' resolve

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the end of the more than two-and-a-half-year-old war with Russia depends on the "resolve" of Kyiv's Western allies in providing necessary weaponry and permission to use it.

Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, thanked his military for a recent strike on an arsenal in Russia, though he did not specify the location. He also stated that his meetings next week in the United States are "crucial" for ensuring that Ukraine has the defense capabilities it needs.

"If we could direct all our precision toward defending our state, if there were enough missiles and permissions that partners could provide for this, the overall situation in the war would be better for our security," he said.

He added, "The answer to the question 'When will the war end?' actually lies in when our partners' resolve does not lag behind what we can do for our defense, our independence, our victory."

"Our clear strategy will be on the table of our partners, on the table of the president of the United States," he continued.

Zelenskyy issues almost daily pleas for Ukraine's Western allies, principally the United States, to boost supplies of weaponry to fend off the slow advance of Russian forces in the Donetsk region on the eastern front of the war.

Kyiv also seeks permission to use Western weapons against targets deep inside Russia to preempt Moscow's air attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, including energy facilities.

Ukrainian officials reported on Saturday that their forces had struck two Russian munitions depots overnight—one in the Krasnodar region in the south and another in the Tver region in the west.

Zelenskyy will attend sessions next week of the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly. He has also scheduled meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic candidate for president. Zelenskyy has expressed hope to meet her Republican rival, Donald Trump.

Reuters