Zelenskiy says that Bakhmut “is not occupied” and that Ukrainian troops remain in the city
Answer questions from journalists, Zelenskiy claimed that Bakhmut had not caught by Russia and that Ukrainian troops remain in the city, but that he could not give clear information.
He said:
We fight thanks to the courage of our people, our warriors.
I clearly understand what has happened in Bakhmut.
I cannot share with you the tactical views of our military.
Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation today. There are no two or three interpretations of these words.
Key events
G7 summary
As part of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s press conference at the G7he told reporters that international law could not stand if Russia could retain occupied land in any cease-fire agreement.
He also said other international leaders may be tempted to “wage similar wars”. “If the level of evil and stupidity in Russia’s actions is left unchecked, the world will inevitably be a wreck,” he said. “It is only a matter of time before other criminals in public office want to wage similar wars.
“If Russia is allowed to keep even a sliver of the territory it occupies, international law will never apply again.”
Zelenskiy said he would like “all states that are capable” to supply weapons to Ukraine, although he said he understood there could be legislative or constitutional obstacles.
He added that he was grateful for the Western countries’ sanctions against Russia.
Zelenskiy is convinced that Kiev will receive F-16 fighter jets from the West
Zelenskiy said he had secured high-quality weapons from everyone at the G7 summit.
He said he was sure Ukraine would receive F-16 fighter jets from the West, but was unsure how many.
Avoiding a question about when Ukraine’s counteroffensive would begin, he said:
Russia will know when we have a counteroffensive.
Speaking at the G7 Summit, Joe Biden said he had received a “flat assurance” from Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he would not use Western F-16 fighter jets to enter Russian territory.
Biden told reporters that F-16 fighter jets could be used “wherever Russian troops are in Ukraine and the area”.
Zelenskiy said the images of ruined Hiroshima “remind me of Bakhmut and other similar settlements and cities”.
This is just a totally destroyed area, nothing left, not a single person left.
Today it is a tragedy but in the future there will be reconstruction and recovery.
Zelenskiy said there was no evidence that Brazil, China and India sent weapons to Russia.
He added that it was important to “be united together” to involve everyone in the peace formula.
He said he had met with almost all the G7 leaders, but there was a scheduling reason for not meeting the Brazilian president.
Zelenskiy said he was grateful to the United States and other Western leaders for their support with air defense systems.
We have several months to train our pilots and we will work to ensure that these people are as trained and experienced as possible.
I can’t say how many aircraft we will be able to get or when it will happen, but we will speed it up because it is important to us.
Zelenskiy says that Bakhmut “is not occupied” and that Ukrainian troops remain in the city
Answer questions from journalists, Zelenskiy claimed that Bakhmut had not caught by Russia and that Ukrainian troops remain in the city, but that he could not give clear information.
He said:
We fight thanks to the courage of our people, our warriors.
I clearly understand what has happened in Bakhmut.
I cannot share with you the tactical views of our military.
Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation today. There are no two or three interpretations of these words.
Zelenskiy said it is only a matter of time before other “criminals in public office” want to follow Russia’s example.
That is why the peace formula is important, he said.
The power of the Ukrainian peace formula is that by stopping Russia’s ambitions we will give the world another result, we will paralyze other potential aggressors. When everyone who wants war sees how united and determined the world is when it wants peace, it will make no sense.
Ukraine offers the world salvation from war. To do this we must unite and make Russia the last aggressor.
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