Zelenskiy: It’s too early to say the tide is turning on war The outcome of the war depends on arms supplies, he says The northeast counterattack should bolster support, he says Zelensky offers Russia free prisoners in ammonia deal
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia on Friday of committing war crimes in northeastern Ukraine and said it was too early to say the war was changing despite rapid territorial gains by his forces this month. The Ukrainian leader also told Reuters in an interview that the outcome of the war with Russia, now in its seventh month, depends on the rapid delivery of foreign weapons to his country. He compared the situation in the recently liberated areas in the northeast “to the bloody soap opera after Bukha”, a town near Kyiv where he accused Russian forces of committing several war crimes in the first phase of the war. Moscow has denied the accusations. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “As of today, there are 450 dead, buried (in the northeastern region of Kharkiv). But there are others, separate burials of many people. Tortured people. Whole families in some areas,” Zelensky said. Asked if there was evidence of war crimes, he said: “All this is there… There is some evidence and assessments are being made, Ukrainian and international, and this is very important for us, for the world to recognize. “ The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Zelensky’s new allegations. Russia regularly denies targeting civilians during its “special military operation” in Ukraine and has previously said accusations of human rights abuses are a smear campaign. Kharkiv Region Governor Oleh Synhubov told reporters Friday at one of the burial sites in the city of Izium that some bodies exhumed there were found with their hands tied behind their backs. read more Moscow has not commented on the mass grave site in Izium, which was a Russian frontline stronghold before a Ukrainian counterattack forced its forces to flee.
NOT AN EARLY END TO THE WAR
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during an interview with Reuters amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko read more Friday’s interview took place in the president’s office in the heavily guarded government quarter, which is now a citadel for Zelensky and his advisers. Sandbags were piled against the windows of the building’s labyrinthine corridors. An air raid siren – used to warn of the danger of incoming missiles – sounded in Kyiv shortly before the interview. Zelensky, who visited Izium on Wednesday, repeated his call for Western and other countries to increase arms supplies to Ukraine. “We would like more help from Turkey, we would like more help from South Korea. More help from the Arab world. From Asia,” he said. Zelensky also cited “certain psychological obstacles” to Germany supplying military equipment because of its Nazi past, but said such supplies were vital for Ukraine to defend against what he called Russian “fascism.” He has often accused Berlin of dragging its feet on arms supplies. He praised Ukraine’s swift counterattack but downplayed any suggestion that the war was entering some kind of endgame. “It is too early to talk about the end of this war,” he said. Zelensky said he would support the idea of reopening Russian ammonia exports through Ukraine, an initiative proposed by the United Nations, if Moscow would hand over Ukrainian prisoners of war to Kyiv. read more Speaking in Uzbekistan on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin waved off Ukraine’s counterattack with a smile, but warned that Russia would respond more forcefully if its troops came under further pressure. read more Zelensky said he was convinced that foreign arms supplies to Ukraine would have been reduced if Kyiv had not launched its counteroffensive, and that the territorial gains would have impressed other countries. “I think this is a very important step that has influenced, or will influence, the decisions of some other countries,” he said. Asked on the 205th day of the war if he ever had a chance to relax, Zelensky said: “I would love for the Russians to relax.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Editor: Gareth Jones Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
