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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that his country was preparing a counterattack designed to liberate Russian-held territory, not to invade Russian territory.
Speaking during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s goal is to liberate the region within internationally recognized borders.
There is speculation that Ukraine may try to seize territory from Russia precisely and use it as a bargaining chip in peace negotiations to end the war, which Moscow has launched in February 2022.
Pressed by reporters on the issue, Zelenskyy said: “We are not invading Russian territory, we are liberating legitimate territory.”
“We don’t have the time or the energy [to attack Russia]”He said, according to the official interpreter. “And we also have no weapons to spare, with which we can do this.
“We are preparing a counterattack for illegally occupied territories based on constitutionally established, internationally recognized legal borders,” Zelenskyy said.
Germany pledged billions in military aid
Ukraine’s president is visiting allies in search of more weapons to help his country fight Russian attacks, as well as funds to rebuild what has been destroyed by more than a year of devastating conflict.
A Luftwaffe jet flew Zelenskyy to the German capital from Rome, where he met with Pope Francis and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.
It was his first visit to Berlin since the start of the war and came a day after the German government announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth more than 2.7 billion euros ($3.97 billion Cdn), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition.
Zelenskyy thanked Scholz for Germany’s political, financial and military support, saying the country was now second only to the United States in aid to Ukraine – and joked that he was working to make it the biggest donor.
Scholz explained that Kyiv can expect German aid to continue to flow.
“We will support you as long as necessary,” he said, adding that Russia must end the war by withdrawing its forces.
One of the largest suppliers of weapons to Ukraine
After the first hesitation to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons, Germany has become one of the largest suppliers of weapons to Ukraine, including Leopard 1 and 2 battle tanks, and advanced IRIS-T SLM air defense system. Modern Western hardware is considered essential if Ukraine is to succeed in its planned counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Zelenskyy first met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the head of state of Germany, who was snubbed by Kyiv last year – apparently over previous close ties with Russia – causing a chill in diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Germany.
Since then, Steinmeier and Scholz have visited Ukraine, assuring Zelenskyy of their support for their country’s fight against the Russian invasion. Announcing the new arms package, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would help Ukraine “even if it needs it.”
After meeting with Scholz and other senior officials in the chancellery, the two leaders are expected to fly to the western city of Aachen for Zelenskyy to receive the International Charlemagne Prize awarded to him and the people of Ukraine.
Organizers said the award recognized that their resistance to the Russian invasion was a defense “not only of the country’s sovereignty and the lives of its citizens, but also of Europe and European values.”
While Germany’s leader has expressed strong support for Ukraine, German voters are divided over whether the country should provide further weapons, especially advanced fighter jets as Kyiv is appealing to allies.
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