Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Year-End Press Conference [VIDEO]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held an online press conference in Kyiv to reflect on the events of 2023. During the session, he addressed challenging questions regarding the counteroffensive, prisoner exchange, EU and U.S. support, mobilization, and the economic situation in Ukraine during the war.
Ukraine is gearing up to enter the third year of the full-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
Zelensky announced Ukraine's plan to produce one million drones in 2024, emphasizing the country's efforts to boost domestic arms production since the onset of the Russian invasion.
Regarding NATO membership, Zelensky underscored that Ukraine's accession to NATO is the best security guarantee. Responding to questions about "partial" membership, he expressed difficulty imagining its feasibility. Overall, Ukraine's phased entry into NATO carries the risk of direct conflict between NATO and the Russian Federation.
President Zelensky revealed that military leaders proposed mobilizing hundreds of thousands of additional soldiers, but he stated the need for more arguments to support the idea. The issue of mobilization in Ukraine is currently a highly sensitive matter, with the government working on new decisions that may include the conscription of younger men and potentially women.
Regarding conscription of women, Zelensky asserted that he would not sign any document proposing female conscription. However, regarding mobilizing men aged 25 and older, he expressed openness, contingent on arguments presented by military leaders.
President Zelensky estimated the cost of additional forces to be approximately 500 billion hryvnias (12.5 billion euros).
Zelensky mentioned that the prisoner exchange has been slower due to certain reasons from the Russian side but expressed hope for increased activity in the near future.
He emphasized that Russia did not achieve any battlefield results in Ukraine over the past year. The Kremlin's rhetoric regarding the goals of military aggression in Ukraine remains unchanged. Zelensky stated that initially, the Russians aimed to capture the entire country, but later, the focus shifted to administrative borders in Donbas.
Responding to questions about his recent trip to Argentina, Zelensky highlighted that Javier Milei's election "alters the political direction in Latin America." He stated that Milei supports Ukraine and spoke in parliament about his full backing for the country.