Exclusive: Zelenskyy says Ukraine-Russia war ‘closer to end’, calls for more aid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believes the war with Russia is “closer to its end” than many think and called on allies to strengthen Ukraine’s military.
“The plan for victory is to strengthen Ukraine,” Zelensky said in an interview with “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts. “That’s why we’re asking our friends, our allies, to strengthen us. That’s very important.”
Tune in to “Good Morning America” Tuesday at 7 a.m. ET to watch the rest of the interview.
“I think we are closer to peace than we think,” he continued. “We are closer to the end of the war.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska speak with ABC News’ Robin Roberts in New York, September 23, 2024.
ABC News
Zelensky spoke with Roberts during his visit to New York on Monday for the United Nations General Assembly this week as part of a trip to the United States where he has promised to present what he calls his “Victory Plan” to President Joe Biden and other key U.S. political leaders.
Zelensky has repeatedly called on the United States and the United Kingdom to drop restrictions on long-range missiles they have supplied to Ukraine to strike targets in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that using Western weapons to strike Russian targets would be seen as a serious escalation of the war and a direct challenge to NATO countries.
Zelensky’s request comes amid intense fighting in eastern Ukraine, as well as weeks after the start of Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine has said it seized hundreds of square kilometers and dozens of villages in the Kursk region in the first days of its surprise offensive.
Zelensky told Roberts that Putin was “afraid” of the Kursk operation.
“That’s right. He’s very afraid,” he said. “Why? Because his people saw that he couldn’t defend all his territory.”
The Ukrainian leader said that only a “strong position” would allow Ukraine to “push Putin to stop the war.”
Zelenskyy was joined by his wife, first lady Olena Zelenska, for the meeting. Later in the week, Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Washington to meet with Biden as well as presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
