JRL NEWSWATCH: “The AP Interview: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is in a new phase as winter looms” – AP
“In an exclusive interview … Zelenskyy says the war with Russia is entering a new stage, with winter expected to complicate … fighting and the Middle East capturing global attention.”
“… ‘Look, we are not backing down, I am satisfied. We are fighting with the second (best) army in the world, I am satisfied,’ he said, referring to the Russian military. But … ‘We are losing people, I’m not satisfied. We didn’t get all the weapons we wanted, I can’t be satisfied, but I also can’t complain too much.’ … With winter … military leaders must contend with new but familiar challenges … freezing temperatures and barren fields that leave soldiers exposed[] [a]nd … the renewed threat of widespread Russian aerial assaults in cities that target energy infrastructure and civilians. …”
Ukraine’s next presidential election would have been this coming March. Zelenskyy said he was ready to hold an election, but most Ukrainians are not, as the war continues.
Under the Ukrainian budget, 22% of the country’s GDP will likely go towards defense and national security. Ukraine’s economy and the lives of Ukrainian citizens are being restructured around the war, seemingly with no end in sight.