© Getty Images The president said that people who put forward such ideas do not understand the real situation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that supporters of the idea of a “buffer zone” between Ukraine and Russia do not understand what is happening on the front, in particular, the drone war has already created this buffer zone.
“I have heard this repeatedly from Europeans and Americans. I tried to explain… only those who do not understand the technological state of war today propose a buffer zone of 40-50-60, I even heard a proposal for 100 km. This is a completely different story. Today we have heavy weapons and they are 10+ km apart, because everything is hit by drones. This buffer zone… I call it a dead zone, some call it a “gray zone”, it already exists,” he replied at a briefing on August 29 to journalists’ request to comment on the Politico article.
Zelensky added that if Russia wants to have more distance between its and Ukrainian forces, it can withdraw its troops deep into the occupied territories.
According to him, by throwing in such ideas, Russia is only stalling for time.
Zelensky added that the situation on the front remains difficult. The most difficult is still the Pokrovsky direction, where the Russian army has concentrated up to 100 thousand troops and is preparing offensive actions. Active defense is also taking place in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
At the same time, the president noted that currently neither Russia nor Ukraine have enough strength to achieve victory solely through military means.
“We all understand that Russia will not be able to occupy us today. We all understand that Ukraine will not be able to fully restore all of its territories with weapons today. They do not have enough strength, we do not have enough strength,” he said, adding that the diplomatic path to ending the war may turn out to be faster, since it involves “fewer killings, fewer losses.”
As Politico reported, European leaders are considering creating a 40-kilometer buffer zone along the front line between Ukrainian and Russian troops as part of a potential peace deal for a post-war settlement or ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine. However, European officials have been divided on how deep the zone should actually be, and it is unclear whether Ukraine would accept such a plan. The US, however, appears to be taking no part in the discussions on creating a buffer zone, the publication notes.
International commentator Volodymyr Kim spoke about which security guarantees can be considered reliable and effective and whether allies are ready to provide such guarantees to Ukraine in the article “ Between Article 5 and the “porcupine”: The West seeks security “guarantees” for Ukraine. ”
