KYIV, April 23 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky has said Ukraine wants to get the United States to supply it with heavy weapons during talks on Sunday in Kyiv between the Ukrainian leader, the secretary of US State and the US Secretary of Defense.
Volodimir Zelensky has indicated that Kyiv will stop negotiating with Moscow if Russia destroys “our people” in the besieged port of Mariupol, or if it organizes referendums in the newly occupied Ukrainian territories to create breakaway republics.
During a press conference, the Ukrainian president indicated that he believed that Russia could use nuclear weapons, adding however that he did not want to believe that Moscow would do so.
Volodimir Zelensky said it was crucial that Ukraine obtain additional weapons.
“As soon as we have (additional weapons), as soon as we have enough, believe me, we will immediately retake the territories that are temporarily occupied,” he told reporters.
He took advantage of this press conference, organized in the Kyiv metro, to announce the arrival on Sunday of Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin.
“We will talk tomorrow about the exact list of weapons that we need and the pace of deliveries,” explained Volodimir Zelensky. “We would like to obtain powerful heavy weapons.” (Report Natalia Zinets and Alessandra Prentice, written by Tom Balmforth; French version Camille Raynaud)