(Dan Tri) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s ultimate goal of `destroying NATO`.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo: Reuters).
In an interview with Fox News, President Zelensky accused Russia’s goal of destroying the NATO military alliance.
`He (President Putin) is a threat to the whole world. He will destroy NATO, that is his goal,` Mr. Zelensky said.
He said that the war in Ukraine will end once `the world understands the threat that Mr. Putin creates.`
Tensions between Russia and the West have escalated since the war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022, with NATO being the strongest supporter of Kiev in dealing with Moscow.
NATO has taken steps to strengthen its defenses in recent months, including mobilizing nearly 90,000 troops for training near the Russian-Swedish border.
Russia criticized the move and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the exercises `provocative`.
The Russia-Ukraine war has lasted two years and Kiev’s efforts to regain territory from Moscow have stalled recently after an unsuccessful counterattack late last year.
Mr. Zelensky has previously stated that the fighting will not end until all territory, including the Crimean peninsula, is returned to Ukraine.
In his response to Fox News, Mr. Zelensky said he found it `unfair to ask Ukrainians when the war will end`, because his country is `doing everything possible to end the war as soon as possible`.
`When will the world be ready to stop Russia?` he said.
Mr. Zelensky’s comments come in the context of increasingly trickle aid packages for Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky said Ukraine is grateful for everything the United States has done but warned that if they do not receive more help, the cost if Ukraine loses will be much greater.
`We just want to survive. We have no other choice. We just want to survive. I think (US) congressmen are just people with families, with children, and I think they understand that we
In another development, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previously said that Ukraine will be allowed to use long-range weapons, including F-16 fighters, received from NATO to attack military targets `
According to him, Ukraine has the right to defend itself against a Russian attack, including `attacking legitimate Russian military targets outside Ukraine`.
Russia has repeatedly warned that Ukraine receiving F-16 fighters will escalate the conflict and could even cause the risk of nuclear war because this fighter is capable of carrying B61 gravity bombs.
`So, if one of those planes took off from a NATO country – what would it be? An attack on Russia. I won’t describe what might happen next,` said Dmitry Medvedev, former