In an interview with The Washington Post, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that he was "annoyed" by the words of some Western politicians, who say that the offensive is going "slower" than expected. And he told what Ukraine needs now: shells, aviation, and even more of all types of weapons.
According to him, Ukrainian troops advance every day, even if it is only 500 meters. However, "itʼs not a show that the whole world is watching, betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given with blood."
Zaluzhnyi emphasized that the Western allies would never launch an offensive without air superiority, while Ukraine is expected to quickly retake territories without modern fighter jets. He also said that due to the limited resources of shells, Ukrainian fighters sometimes produce them ten times less than the Russians, although there should be parity.
"Without full security, these plans cannot be implemented at all. But they are carried out. Maybe not as fast as the showʼs participants and observers would like, but thatʼs their problem," the general noted.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi admitted that Ukraine had lost several German Leopard tanks since the beginning of the offensive, noting that they are primarily a target for the enemy on the battlefield.
“We didnʼt get the Leopard to be driven in parades or to be photographed by politicians or celebrities. They came here for war," he said.
In the command post, Zaluzhnyi has a screen that shows everything that is flying in the air at any moment: the aircraft of NATO countries on the western border of Ukraine, Ukrainian planes in the sky above Ukraine, and Russian planes on the eastern borders.
"Letʼs put it this way, the number of planes patrolling our western borders is twice the number of Russian planes destroying our positions. Why canʼt we take at least a third from there and transfer it here?" Zaluzhnyi asked.
He clarified that he is not asking for 120 planes at once, because "he is not going to threaten the world." Instead, a limited amount will suffice.
Regarding the Russian threat to use nuclear weapons, Zaluzhnyi replied: "It doesnʼt stop me at all."