Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke out as Vladimir Putin threatened to establish a buffer zone in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a chilling development to come more than two years after Putin first invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian leader opened up about the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv.
Zelenskyy spoke about the escalating war on Friday morning during an interview with ABC News from inside a Kharkiv hospital.
While Zelenskyy was initially scheduled to visit Spain on Friday, he ultimately canceled the trip at the last minute to visit his nation’s second-largest city.
“It’s really important for me to be here,” he told the outlet as they walked from room to room to visit injured Ukrainian soldiers.
“The situation is very serious,” Zelenskyy said regarding the latest development in the escalating war. “We cannot afford to lose Kharkiv.”
While Zelenskyy did not place blame on any one country for Putin’s recent decision to storm Kharkiv, the leader did admit that “it’s the world’s fault” that the Russian despot has managed to advance so far into the already war-torn country.
“It’s the world’s fault,” Zelenskyy lamented. “They gave the opportunity for Putin to occupy. But now the world can help."
Zelenskyy’s interview with ABC News on Friday morning came shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine on Wednesday.
During his visit, Blinken announced a new $2 billion aid package for Ukraine in addition to another $60 billion package passed by Congress last month.
Zelenskyy expressed appreciation for Blinken’s visit this week but also explained that Ukraine needs more than shows of support to push back Putin and Russia.
“Dialogue is good, but we need help now,” the leader said. “All we need are two Patriot systems. Russia will not be able to occupy Kharkiv if we have those.”
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“That money is not given to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy continued regarding the more than $60 billion aid package for Ukraine. “It’s money spent in American factories, creating American jobs.”
“We are not just fighting for our freedom,” he concluded. “If not Ukraine, it would be another country.”
As RadarOnline.com previously noted, Zelenskyy’s remarks on Friday morning came as Putin threatened to establish a buffer zone in Kharkiv during a rare visit to China.
Moscow launched its offensive into Kharkiv on May 10 and, although Putin claimed to have no plans to capture the Ukrainian city, he did threaten to “create a security zone” in Kharkiv.
“I have said publicly that if it continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone,” Putin said from Beijing on Friday morning. “That’s what we are doing.”
Putin also confirmed that Russia’s troops were “advancing daily according to plan.”
