Volodymyr Zelensky’s predecessor spoke in a special interview for NOVA. Petro Poroshenko returned from the Bakhmut region, where the fiercest fighting is taking place. He spoke to our international editor Yana Nikolova about Vladimir Putin’s arrest warrant and nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Mr Poroshenko, you recently returned from Bakhmut – one of the hottest spots in the world at the moment, what is the situation there now?
– I am trying to make it possible during the last year of war to be at least once a week either in the East or in the south of our country, where we have the heaviest fighting.
I’m pretty sure it’s the hottest spot in the world. This is the symbol of Ukrainian resilience, because Putin promised to take over Ukraine in three days and Bakhmut in a week. Now we have a full 9 months of Ukrainian resistance in Bakhmut, which Putin is trying to turn into hell. Half of the city is currently under Russian occupation. The situation is extremely difficult, as well as in Avdeevka, which is almost surrounded. I was there with the artillery brigade. These are the hottest spots. You must understand that the only way we can resolve this situation is if there is an offensive. We need weapons. I want to take this opportunity to thank Bulgaria, because now you are one of the main suppliers of projectiles for the Soviet model guns. And the main part of our artillery is exactly like that. This is the position of a true friend. I want to thank the Bulgarian people, the Bulgarian parliamentarians – both from the opposition and from those in power. I hope you all understand that this is not just support for Ukraine. It’s an investment in your own security.
We must stop Putin. And better to stop it here in Ukraine to ensure the deputization of Europe than to allow it to continue with Russian aggression on the continent”.
Challenger and Leopard tanks have arrived in Ukraine, but are they enough? Is Western support for Ukraine enough because you have to beg for more every day?
– First of all, as the fifth president of Ukraine, I can tell you – weapons are never enough. Since the beginning of this war, which began in 2014 – no. But we have enough weapons to resist, to stop Putin, but we definitely don’t have enough weapons to push Putin out of Ukrainian territory, to launch a counteroffensive. You said we got Challenger and Leopard 2 – but only 18. And in general we should get 140. For comparison – Putin said a few days ago that in just one year, Russia is capable of producing and modernizing 1,600 tanks. And we will have only 140. One to 10. At the same time, there is another factor that is of critical importance for Ukraine – that is the weather. Because Putin’s troops gained the field experience they didn’t have before. Putin switched the Russian economy to military mode and now produces 10 times more weapons than before. And in this situation, it becomes 10 times more difficult for Ukrainian troops to destroy Russian troops on Ukrainian territory. And in this situation, time, combined with the number of weapons, are key factors. And the third factor – these are the sanctions – sanctions that will cut off Russian exports, money flow to Russia, and thus stop Putin’s ability to finance the war.
You mean there’s no prospect of an imminent counter-offensive, right?
– Now, at the end of March, we can announce that the Russian winter offensive has been destroyed. We didn’t let them do anything. Even in such places as Bakhmut. Not to mention that Putin has announced that he will capture Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka and many other cities. We didn’t allow that. Now it’s our turn, which depends on two things – weapons and time. Fingers crossed, we’re trying to do everything we can to start our offensive in April.
What do you mean by “time”?
– Almost 400 days have already passed since the beginning of the war. I am absolutely certain that if we had received the amount of weapons we are now being promised in the early days of the war, it would most likely have changed everything. And we probably would have made it in the first three months.
Are the Ukrainians tired of this war yet, Mr. Poroshenko?
– It is extremely difficult for the Ukrainian people. And it’s not because we’re tired. We have lost friends, loved ones and many of us do not know how to continue living after all this. It’s a matter of survival. Those who said that we should reach a compromise with Putin should know that he wants to kill me and all Ukrainians. And we want to live.
The Red Cross warns that the situation of civilians in the Bakhmut area is extremely difficult. When you were there, did you get to talk to some of the people who live in the area?
– This is so not only in Bakhmut. I can tell you that exactly a year ago, my team and I organized the evacuation of over 23,000 civilians from Bucha. And so we certainly saved their lives. We are talking about a humanitarian catastrophe, a genocide. It’s not just Putin, it’s Russian soldiers killing civilians just because we’re Ukrainians. This is confirmation of just how maniacally insane Putin is. I spoke to many civilians in Bakhmut. We tried to evacuate them, but many of them refuse, especially the older ones. Currently, over 60% of civilian objects have been destroyed. More and more people are trying to leave the city.
Watch the entire interview in the video.
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