Zelensky rejects an Olympic truce and accuses Westerners of preventing him from using their weapons to strike Russia

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On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea of ​​a “truce” in the war with Moscow proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron for the duration of the Paris Olympics, and accused Western countries of preventing him from using their weapons to strike Russia.

In an exclusive interview with Agence France-Presse, Zelensky addressed the French president, saying: “Emmanuel, we do not believe it. Let us imagine for a moment that there is a ceasefire. First, we do not trust (Vladimir) Putin. Second, he will not withdraw his forces.”

He added: “Tell me, Emmanuel, who guarantees that Russia will not take advantage of this to send its forces to our lands?”, reiterating his rejection of a truce that would “be in the enemy’s interest,” as he put it.

Macron had previously confirmed that he wanted to "do everything" to reach an Olympic truce around the world during the Olympic Games.

In this context, Russian President Vladimir Putin also hinted on Friday that he would not adhere to an Olympic truce due to Russia's exclusion from the Paris Games due to its attack on Ukraine, and that he would continue the battles against Kiev.

Regarding the course of the battles, the Ukrainian president said that Russia does not have the means to launch a new large-scale attack on Kiev.

He pointed out that "Moscow does not have the necessary forces to launch a large-scale attack on the capital as it did at the beginning of the invasion," expressing his belief that Donbass (east) and Kharkiv (northeast) are the Kremlin's main targets.

Zelensky stressed that Russia's attack on the Kharkiv region could be just the first wave of a broader attack.

But at the same time, he warned that Ukraine only has a quarter of the air defense systems it needs, adding that Kiev also needs 120 to 130 F-16 fighter planes to confront Russian air power.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, and to end it, it stipulated that Kiev “abandon” plans to join military entities, which prompted capitals, led by Washington, to impose severe economic sanctions on Moscow.