According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Ukraine does not need a NATO military contingent on its own territory, but modern Western technologies and weapons are needed.
Is Ukraine interested in the presence of NATO troops on its own territory
I never spoke about it because we are not in NATO and I have no right to do so. We don't need soldiers. Of course, if we want to have the same attitude towards soldiers as in Russia, and get the Second World War, or the First World War, when people just went against each other... But this is a different war, related to technologies, - Zelensky emphasized.
According to him in an interview for Channel 4 News, it will be economically more expedient for Western partners to provide Ukraine with money and weapons to resist the armed aggression unleashed by Russia, than to send their armies to the battlefield.
The Russians are fighting against our energy industry without using an army everywhere, I mean an army all over the land. They use their planes and various systems from Russian territory, from Belarus, from occupied Crimea. I think that it will be cheaper for the world to give us such systems, especially when we know that they have them, - explained Zelensky.
Zelenskyi on help from Western partners
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Western partners helped Ukraine withstand the criminal war unleashed by the Russian Federation, but they could also have done more for Ukraine's sure victory.
We could not survive without the help of the United States, that is a fact. And I'm counting on them today, that's true, - Zelensky noted.
The head of state also explained that during all his time in the presidential position, he cannot get used to the so-called political nuances, due to which Ukraine is currently facing the threat of a reduction in military support from Western partners.
Everyone smiles and hugs you and says you are resilient, you are so strong, the leader of the free world, saving our democracy. If the Ukrainian people did not have such a president, we could lose half of Europe, and then Russia would attack the USA, and we have to give you everything we have. And then - stop! - explains Zelenskyi.
He emphasized once again that he would not like to appear ungrateful, because the West has helped Ukraine a lot and without this support Ukraine would not have survived.
They helped us a lot to persevere. And I think they could help us even more so that we win. It's a matter of survival, so I can't, you know, get emotional. But sometimes there are moments when I really can't understand or don't want to understand - the head of state notes.
According to him, doubts and delays by Western partners in providing military support to Ukraine lead to unnecessary losses and complicate the situation.
Time passes - people die. Therefore, I perceive this corridor of time as bloody, very painful. But not everyone understands this. I have been reporting this since the early days. F-16 is a very vivid example. From the moment we talked about it to the moment of a positive signal, a year passed. From the moment of the positive signal to training - another six months. From the moment of training to delivery - this period has not yet ended, because the F-16s have not yet arrived, - the president emphasizes.
