MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has recognized the inability of Ukrainian armed forces to reclaim lost territories and has not ruled out new losses in the event the Kiev regime loses Washington’s support.
"We lack the strength to [regain] everything. And this is the situation today. And that is why this war will end diplomatically," he said in an interview with CBS News. That said, Zelensky reasserted that Ukraine will not recognize the lost territories as Russian.
"Undoubtedly, there will be negotiations. Undoubtedly, they will be different – both trilateral and bilateral, different formats. We will reach a diplomatic resolution of this war," he said, speaking of potential ways to settle the conflict.
At the same time, he noted his distrust of Russian authorities and continued to demand security guarantees from the West, including deploying troops to Ukraine and providing air defense.
Losses and fatigue
According to Zelensky, certain combat fatigue is observed both amid Ukrainian troops and the Kiev regime’s Western partners. In particular, Zelensky asserted that without Washington’s support, Ukraine will suffer major losses.
"I think that without the US we will suffer many losses - both human and territorial. Such losses are possible," he said. "Without the US, there will be more losses - that's a fact," Zelensky emphasized.
That said, following the interview, the TV channel pointed out that Ukrainian military losses had amounted to about 100,000 killed in action. On February 16, Zelensky himself said that irretrievable losses were half as much, claiming 46,000 troops had been killed. However, he admitted that the actual number may be "tens of thousands" higher than the official figure. According to TASS’ calculations, as of February 24, Ukrainian military losses stood at about 1.08 million killed and wounded since the onset of the special military operation.
Previously, the Kiev regime repeatedly insisted that Ukraine should continue the conflict until the 1991 borders were restored. However, amid regular reports on the dire situation on the battlefield and enormous losses among Ukrainian troops, the rhetoric began to change. Last November, Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, admitted that Ukraine could start negotiations with Russia without demanding the withdrawal of Russian forces to the 1991 borders.