As part of an interview with the US Wall Street Journal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Tuesday, 22 September, that despite his public statements about wanting to end the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to scale back his attacks on Ukrainian cities without more pressure from Washington.
Part of that “pressure” would include an additional tranche of military assistance, the Ukrainian leader explained. Kyiv has now asked US President Donald Trump for a winter package of military equipment, including more of the now-famous Patriot anti-missile systems.
Putin Speaking to Large Crowd in 2019 Russian Federation Photo
Putin Back in 2019 Russia Federation Photo
Just prior to the UN meetings in New York, Poland announced that it would provide Ukraine with a shipment of military assistance, including missiles for the Patriot air defense system.
“We are preparing a support package comprising equipment being withdrawn from service with the Polish Armed Forces due to the expiration of its service life,” Poland’s Ministry of National Defense told Rzeczpospolita, the nation’s leading daily, and explained that the equipment would otherwise go unused by Poland but could support Ukraine’s war effort.
Zelensky said he had requested a “winter package” of new military equipment from Trump. He also stated that he sees the US pressuring Moscow into an agreement to an “energy ceasefire.” This would see an end to attacks by Russia on Ukrainian electrical stations and power grids in return for Ukraine curbing its strikes on Moscow’s oil refineries and natural gas facilities.
An End to the War in Two Months
Zelenskiy told the Journal that, during a session on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly opening session, he had met Trump earlier that day, when he requested a package of new weapons. This shipment would provide the Patriot anti-missile systems that Ukraine needs ahead of the winter months, along with other specific technologies.
Patriot Missile Interceptor Test. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Patriot Missile Launch. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
A MIM-104 Patriot Surface-to-Air Missile System assigned to the Fort Bliss, Texas-based 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade fires as part of a bi-lateral live-fire exercise with military members from the Royal Netherlands Ground-based Air Defense Command at McGregor Range, N.M., May 11, 2024. The Patriot Missile System is a highly mobile air defense guided missile system designed to engage and intercept any aerial threats whether it be aircraft or tactical ballistic missiles under any weather conditions and in natural or induced environments. The command showcased its capabilities firing interceptors at simulated drone targets during the training event working with Dutch Allies.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Rincon)
The Ukrainian President then went so far as to say that there is an opportunity to end the war with Russia within the next two months. However, he added that Kyiv will need assistance to achieve such a goal.
“We have a chance to stop and end this war before winter, if… There are several ‘ifs.’ Of course, the first ‘if’ is always will. The will of the United States, especially the president (US President Donald Trump — ed.), specifically about the political will to end [the war],” Zelenskiy told the daily.
But the Ukrainian president also added that, in the case of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, political will alone will not be enough.
According to Zelenskiy, there is not only a concrete opportunity to end the war but also to achieve a just peace for Ukraine.
His statement echoes concerns for almost a year now that Ukraine’s western backers could try to force Kyiv into an unjust agreement to end the hostilities – but a flawed arrangement that would give Russia the space to re-arm and reconstitute its forces and then resume its war with its Ukrainian neighbor – perhaps within a matter of months.
Pressuring Putin
Zelenskiy then went on to explain the importance of applying pressure on the Russian dictator as the war heads into its 5th winter. With his recent “victory” in what have been seen as rigged and deeply flawed parliamentary elections, the former KGB Lt. Col. will now feel more emboldened in his war ambitions.
The concern in more than one capital is that Putin is thus likely to “escalate his campaign in Ukraine, his undeclared war against Europe, or perhaps both,” reads a recent commentary in the London Daily Telegraph.
Ukraine’s intelligence services have now joined a long list of those who believe that Moscow will now order a mass mobilization to call up an additional 300,000 troops. Putin believes that a force of this size could break the deadlock on the front line with Ukraine’s military.
On Wednesday, Zelensky is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly, his fourth such in-person address since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Among other nations supporting Russia’s war effort, he is expected to single out India, Turkey, and most specifically the People’s Republic of China (PRC), over their support for Russia in the war.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Korea Fellow at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
