Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly pledged to win against the Russian invasion, which marked the first anniversary on the 24th.
President Zelensky held a press conference for domestic and foreign media in the capital Kyiv (Russian name Kiev) on the same day and said that he believes that this war will be won “if we remain with one fist, one mighty fist.”
“If we do our homework (what we have to do), victory is inevitable,” he reiterated.
President Zelensky tells me he believes Ukraine can be victorious this year, “if we stay as one fist, one strong fist.”“If we all do our homework, victory will be inevitable.” pic.twitter.com/Hcdtfp128B
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) February 24, 2023
■ “Possible support for Korean weapons”
President Zelensky also said, “It will be positive if South Korea provides weapons.”
“There are details under discussion with other countries regarding this wonderful country (Korea),” he explained.
“I hope (Korea) can find an opportunity to help Ukraine through this,” he said.
He also emphasized to Korea, “I am very interested in the relationship between the two countries, and this is very important to us, and I think we can develop (relationship) further.”
The Korean government has provided economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February last year, but has not provided direct arms support.
Russia has strongly warned of possible arms support from South Korea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech at the ‘Valdai Discussion Club’ held in Moscow last October, “I know that Korea is trying to provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine,” and “if that happens, the relationship will collapse.”
See also: Putin warns South Korea not to provide weapons to Ukraine… Mentions the possibility of military cooperation with North Korea
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visited Seoul on the 30th of last month and said that the Korean government should provide military assistance to Ukraine.
■ Hope to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping
President Zelensky said at a conference on the same day (24th) that he plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He then put forward a position that a meeting with President Xi would be beneficial to both countries and global security, but did not mention a specific time or location.
President Zelensky said he was also open to considering some of China’s proposed Ukraine-Russia peace talks.
On the same day (24th), the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced “China’s Position on the Political Resolution of the Ukraine Crisis” to mark the first year of the war in Ukraine, urging direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.
See also: China’s statement on the start of peace talks in Ukraine
China’s foreign ministry urged Ukraine and Russia to resume dialogue and seek a ceasefire in a 12-point statement.
The statement, which begins with the words “respect the sovereignty of all states,” calls on Russia and Ukraine to scale down the war, resume peace talks, and stop using nuclear weapons.
■ Biden “Putin is clapping his hands”
However, US President Joe Biden negatively evaluated China’s proposed peace plan for the war in Ukraine, saying that it would only benefit Russia.
In an > interview aired on the 24th, President Biden said, “If China’s plan is followed, I have not found anything that would benefit other countries besides Russia.”
He emphasized, “How can it be good when Putin (Russian President) is clapping his hands?”
Biden criticizes China%27s 12 point peace plan to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In his opinion, it is beneficial only to Moscow. pic.twitter.com/vW85ZIvHOz
— SOS-UK-Report (@sosReports) February 25, 2023
President Biden also added, “It is not even rational to think that China will negotiate an outcome of this war that is completely unfair to Ukraine.”
■ There is no ‘1st Anniversary Offensive’ yet
On the 24th, the first anniversary of the start of the war, as well as the next day (25th), the Russian side’s ‘great offensive’, such as air raids across Ukraine, that the West had expected, did not proceed.
However, the fighting continued around the eastern battlefield.
Because of this, there is an analysis that Russia has lost its ability to replenish its main weapon.
The British Ministry of Defense released an intelligence assessment on the 25th that Russia seems to have exhausted its stock of Iranian-made unmanned drones that have been used to strike Ukraine.
On the same day, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DI) under the British Ministry of Defense announced that “there have been no reports of Iranian-made unmanned drones (OWA-UAVs) being used in Ukraine since around the 15th.”
This phenomenon “means that stocks in Russia have recently run out,” he explained.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 25 February 2023Find out more about Defence Intelligence: https://t.co/dnK9iMITD3???????? #StandWithUkraine ???????? pic.twitter.com/vozmOE36aJ
— Ministry of Defence ???????? (@DefenceHQ) February 25, 2023
DI went on to observe that “Russia is likely to seek additional supplies (of Iranian drones).”
The Ukrainian military reported that at least 24 Iranian-made drones called Shaheed 136 flew from the end of last month to the beginning of this month, but they have not confirmed these movements since mid-month.
There is also an analysis that Russia has lost its ability to replenish some weapons, such as missiles, due to Western sanctions focused on the military industry.
But Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian National Security Council, vehemently denied the view.
Medvedev said in an interview with military media on the 25th, “It’s funny to see Ukrainian fantasy writers writing novels about missiles being exhausted and production stopped in Russia.”
Dmitry Medvedev (second from left), Vice Chairman of the Russian National Security Council, inspects a military unit in August last year. (data photo)
Medvedev went on to claim that “arms production is not only expanding, but is literally on the rise with the introduction of the latest technology.”
At the same time, it was emphasized that in response to the expanded demand due to the ‘special military operation’, the production of military supplies increased dozens of times in some factories.
Medvedev is an aide to President Vladimir Putin and served as president when President Putin stepped down as prime minister due to constitutional term limits.
Medvedev has been making a series of hardline statements against the West since the invasion of Ukraine.
In particular, since the beginning of the war, the possibility of using nuclear weapons has been openly discussed, and on the 22nd, “we have the right to defend ourselves with any weapon, including nuclear weapons,” it was announced through social media.
See also: Joint Declaration of Nine Eastern European Countries “Nato Eastern Strengthen Against Russia”…Russian Security Council Vice-Chair “We have the right to use nuclear weapons”
This is VOA News Jongsu Oh.