Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects the Russian army to expand its offensive in the north and east of Ukraine with the aim of capturing Kharkiv.
“They launched an operation that can consist of several waves, and this is the first wave,” Zelensy said in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
Zelensky said that, despite Russian advances in the Kharkiv region in recent days, the situation for Ukrainian forces is better than a week ago, when Kremlin forces suddenly crossed the border.
According to the Ukrainian president, Russia wants to attack Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city.
Zelensky also said that, when it comes to air defense systems, Ukraine today has “25 percent of what it needs to defend Ukraine.”
“Ukraine would need 120 to 130 F-16 or other fighter jets, so that Russia does not have air superiority,” Zelensky said and added:
“We are in an absurd situation where the West is afraid that Russia will lose the war, and at the same time it does not want Ukraine to lose.”