Zelensky rejects Russia ceasefire 'as Moscow will rearm and crush Kyiv troops'

11 January 2024 , 13:07

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A pause on the battlefield won't pause the war, says Zelensky (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out a ceasefire in his country's war with Russia - as he believes the Kremlin's forces would use the pause to rearm and regroup before overwhelming Kyiv's troops.

Speaking during a visit to Estonia, he said: "A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war. A pause would play into (Russia's) hands. It might crush us afterward."

While limited ceasefires have been proposed since Russia's invasion in February 2022, they have never taken hold. Both sides are scrambling to replenish their weapons after 22 months of fighting and with the prospect of a protracted conflict. They each require artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable long-range strikes, while the roughly 630-mile frontline stays mostly static during freezing winter weather.

Mr Zelensky was in the Estonian capital Tallinn as part of a two-day tour of Baltic countries which have been among Ukraine's staunchest supporters in the war. He said Moscow is allegedly buying artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran, and is pressing allies to provide his country with more support - after already receiving billions in military aid from its western allies.

Estonian President Alar Karis said during a joint press conference with Mr Zelensky at the Presidential Palace: "Ukraine needs more, it needs better weapons. We must boost military production capabilities so that Ukraine may get what it needs. And it's not tomorrow, they should get it today."

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President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out a ceasefire in his country's war with Russia (TOMS KALNINS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Mr Karis noted that European Union countries have so far provided 85 billion euros (£73.1 billion) of support for Ukraine. But the flow of support has slowed, alarming Ukrainians who would find it hard to stand alone against their bigger neighbour. A plan by the administration of US President Joe Biden to send 60 billion dollars (£47 billion) in new funding to Kyiv is being held up in Congress.

A pledge made by Europe in March to provide one million artillery shells within 12 months has fallen short, with about 300,000 delivered so far. Mr Zelensky says Ukraine is especially in need of air defence systems to fend off Russian aerial onslaughts that have repeatedly hit civilian areas - though Moscow officials insist they aim only at military targets.

Recent massive Russian barrages - more than 500 drones and missiles were fired between December 29 and January 2, according to officials in Kyiv - are using up Ukraine's air defence resources and leaving the country vulnerable unless it can secure further weapons supplies.

Mr Zelensky won a pledge of more support from Lithuania on Wednesday, and was heading to Latvia after Estonia. The small eastern European countries are among Ukraine's staunchest political, financial and military supporters. Some people in the Baltics worry they could be Moscow's next target.

The three countries were seized and annexed by Josef Stalin during the Second World War and regained independence with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. They joined Nato in 2004, placing themselves under the military protection of the US and its western allies.

A Russian S-300 missile hit a hotel in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, late on Wednesday, injuring 13 people including a Turkish journalist, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The city has been attacked for four consecutive nights, the governor said.

Jim Heintz