Ukraine's Zelenskyy rules out cease-fire with Russia
TALLINN, ESTONIA >> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday ruled out a cease-fire as his country fights off the Russian invasion, saying the Kremlin's forces would use the pause to rearm and regroup in order to overwhelm Kyiv's troops.
“A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war,” Zelenskyy said during a visit to Estonia. “A pause would play into (Russia's) hands. It might crush us afterward.”
Limited cease-fires have occasionally been proposed since Russia launched its full-scale war in February 2022 but have never taken hold.
Both sides are scrambling to replenish their weapons after 22 months of fighting and are facing the prospect of a protracted conflict. With the roughly 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line mostly static during winter, they both require artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable long-range strikes.
Zelenskyy said Moscow is receiving artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran. On Jan. 4, the White House cited U.S. intelligence officials as saying that Russia acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking them from Iran.
Zelenskyy was in the Estonian capital of Tallinn as part of a two-day swing through Baltic countries, which have been among Ukraine's staunchest supporters.
He met with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who gave him a shirt with the Estonian word “Kaitsetahe” — “The will to defend” — printed on the front, which Zelenskyy wore as he addressed parliament.
“Tyranny must be defeated. Tyranny must be a loser,” Zelenskyy said. “Always. Always. Always.”
Zelenskyy said he and Kallas also discussed Ukrainians who fled to Estonia when the war began, telling a news conference that any of them who are of draft age “need to help Ukraine and be in Ukraine.”
His comments came as lawmakers in Kyiv returned a draft law on mobilization to the government for amendments, saying it might contain human rights violations, among other concerns, officials said.
The draft law aims to impose restrictions on citizens who have evaded mobilization duties, as Ukraine grapples with shortages of military personnel.
Zelenskyy said last month that Ukraine's military wants to mobilize up to 500,000 more troops, but he said he had asked the brass to spell out the details on what is “a very sensitive matter” before deciding whether to grant their wish.
He also is pressing allies to provide Ukraine with more support on top of the billions of dollars in military aid from the West.