Zelenskyy: Russia says it is at war with NATO in Ukraine because it is unable to defeat us
Russia claims that it is fighting NATO on the territory of Ukraine because it is ashamed to admit its lack of success on the battlefield.
Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Al Arabiya
Quote: "It's ridiculous that Russia is fighting NATO on the territory of Ukraine. Russia is at war with Ukraine. And since it is not able to fight honestly, it is already saying that it is fighting NATO, because it is a shame to admit that a country that is 40 times larger than Ukraine is not able to defeat us."
Details: Zelenskyy said that NATO is not waging an aggressive war against Russia.
"Today, NATO is not an offensive alliance. I do not see NATO countries starting any war now. I do not see NATO's presence on the territory of Russia. I do not see any NATO member killing Russians on the territory of Russia or anywhere else," the Ukrainian president said.
After Russia's attack on Ukraine, Zelenskyy noted, countries want to join the Alliance to protect themselves from Russian aggression.
"If Russia had not attacked us, Finland would never have joined NATO. All the countries that somehow either border Russia or have had some economic ties with it want to have energy, economic, and agricultural independence. When we saw how they simply blocked the corridors with bread [Black Sea Grain Initiative – ed.] from Ukraine, we realised that they would always twist arms everywhere to achieve their goal. Now all these countries want to join NATO to protect themselves," the president added.
Background:
- On the eve of the New Year, Russia’s presidential administration developed a manual for authorities and pro-Kremlin media outlets, explaining how exactly they should sum up 2022. One of the sections said that "the Russian army is defeating NATO" and Putin "made the only right decision by preventing Ukraine and NATO from attacking Russian territory."
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company, denied the Kremlin's claims that Russia is fighting NATO in Ukraine.
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