President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi gave an exclusive interview to The Associated Press, commenting on the battlefield situation and international politics. The president also urged to strengthen defense lines.
Meanwhile, the blockade of Ukraine’s border with Poland inflicts significant losses on the country’s economy, and a team of British Conservatives led by former Prime Minister Liz Truss arrived in Washington in the wake of an important vote on aid to Ukraine.
offers a digest of Western mass media at the end of the November 27 – December 1, 2023, business week.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s interview: the main points
With the beginning of the winter, Ukraine has entered "a new phase of war", President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in an exclusive interview on Thursday with The Associated Press. Freezing temperatures and the lack of greenery complicate fighting as Russia renews attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Here are the highlights from the Ukrainian leader’s interview.
On the results of the counteroffensive
"Look, we are not backing down, I am satisfied. We are fighting with the second (best) army in the world, I am satisfied. We are losing people, I’m not satisfied. We didn’t get all the weapons we wanted, I can’t be satisfied, but I also can’t complain too much," said the president.
Zelenskyi acknowledged that Ukraine had failed to achieve the desired results on the battlefield, partly because of insufficient equipment provided by Western partners. Nevertheless, the Defense Forces remain confident in their actions and aren’t going to surrender.
The president also praised effective Ukrainian strikes on the Russian Black Sea fleet and occupation forces in Crimea, as well as the successful work of the temporary grain corridor.
On international aid
Zelenskyi has said he fears the Israel-Hamas war threatens to overshadow the conflict in Ukraine, limiting the flow of western military assistance to Kyiv.
The president asserted that Ukraine would "fight for every bit of attention" of its partners, although it becomes increasingly difficult in the wake of the U.S. election. He emphasized that, by helping Ukraine, Americans are preventing Russia from invading NATO countries, which would force the U.S. to directly step into the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi during a meeting on the need for fortification of Ukraine on November 30. Photo: the Office of the President
On Ukrainian defense industry
According to Zelenskyi, during his latest meetings with Biden, members of Congress, and other top officials, he urged them to give Ukraine cheap loans and licenses to manufacture U.S. weaponry. The Ukrainian leader believes that boosting domestic arms production could turn the ride in the war.
On diplomacy
Zelenskyi said he felt no pressure from Ukraine’s allies to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, although some voices are always heard. Ukraine wants to involve as many countries of the world as possible to politically isolate Russia and support the Ukrainian peace formula.
On elections
Zelenskyi said he was ready to hold a wartime election, but most Ukrainians believe such a vote to be "dangerous and meaningless". At the same time, the president isn’t going to leave his office, however difficult the job of leading the country through the war was.
Zelenskyi demands stronger defenses
Zelenskyi during his trip to the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. Photo: the Office of the President
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said defenses must be quickly beefed up across the front line, after meeting commanders in the south and east, BBC reports.
The Ukrainian leader noted that "maximum attention" would be paid to eastern towns coming under fire in the Donetsk region as well as a key defensive line in the north-east between Kupyansk and Lyman. He also included the region around the capital Kyiv where fortifications would be bolstered.
Border blockade: Ukraine could lose 1% GDP growth
According to Reuters, the blockade of border crossings between Ukraine and Poland has reduced Ukraine's overall imports by about a fifth in November, and could cost Kyiv one percentage point of GDP growth.
Thousands of trucks have been backed up at the border because of the protests by Polish hauliers, who began blocking trucks carrying commercial goods on November 6, demanding to restrict access to the EU for their Ukrainian competitors. Both Kyiv and Brussels say it is impossible.
According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, one instigator of the blockage is Rafa Mekler, head of the Konfederacja party's Lublin office. The party advocates for Poland’s exit from the EU and NATO and recognizes Russia’s annexation of Crimea
Negotiations with Poland are further complicated by the power transition following an October 15 election.
The impact of the blockade on Ukraine’s economy
He cited unpublished government data showing Ukraine imported $3.8 billion worth of goods and products in the first 26 days of November, down from $5.2 billion in all October. Meanwhile, Ukrainian exports by truck over the first 26 days of November were $465 million, after $614 million in October.
The Federation of Employers of Ukraine, an industry lobby group, has estimated direct losses to the economy at around €400 million ($437 million).
Ukrainian officials say lower supplies have driven up the prices of some goods. Thus, the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rose by 30%, meat and dairy items rose by 5%, and prices for some food items could rise by 10%.
Road exports from Ukraine are critically important because of Russia's wartime attempts to blockade the Black Sea ports. Goods through Poland usually make up 50% of Ukraine's road exports, but truckers have blocked four of eight border crossings, including the largest.
Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhiy Derkach told Reuters that talks between Ukraine, Poland and the EU appeared to be at a "stalemate" as protesters want a permit system reintroduced for Ukrainian road transport entering the EU. The permit system was first lifted under an agreement signed in June 2022.
Liz Truss rallies for Ukraine in Washington
Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss landed in Washington this week to drum up support for Ukraine among skeptical Republican lawmakers, Politico reports.
After last year’s resignation from the prime minister’s office, which she held for only 49 days, Truss aspires to champion right-wing policies around the world. She is in Washington this week as part of a delegation of the Conservative Friends of Ukraine (CFU), which plans to hold around two dozen meetings with conservative U.S. lawmakers and think tanks.
Mike Johnson, the new Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a Trump supporter, recently said that the majority of congressmen support aid to Ukraine and Israel in the new package. Photo: Getty Images
Next week, the Senate is expected to consider Joe Biden’s proposed $106 billion aid package — $61.4 billion of which is earmarked for Ukraine.
Jack Lopresti, a Tory MP who is among the delegation, told POLITICO the group would meet with Trump-supporting senators "to try and get them to think strategically" and support Ukraine.
Experts argue that it would be easier for Truss to get along with Republicans as she too disapproves of the Biden administration.
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