There is no ‘stalemate’ in the confrontation with Russia – Zelensky

The disagreements between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his military leaders are becoming more evident to the public. They have been arguing openly about the situation in the war with Russia.

Igor Zhovka, who is a deputy leader of Zelensky’s office, criticized a statement made by Ukraine’s military leader. The statement said that the war with Russia is at a standstill. This has caused tensions in Kyiv and raised concerns about Western support for the conflict.

He was replying to an interview with top military official Valery Zaluzhny. The military official said that we have reached a point in technology where neither side in the war has an advantage and it is unlikely that there will be any significant new developments.

Zhovka said on Ukrainian TV that the Russians will thoroughly read, write down, and analyze Zaluzhny’s interview. He said he got calls from colleagues in other countries who were very worried and wanted to know if the war was really at a point where no progress was being made.

Maybe this is a really smart plan, and we will have some success doing it. But honestly, I am very surprised,” Zhovka said.

The tensions are happening at an important time in the war. The slow counter-attack from Kyiv and the violence in the Middle East are causing worries that the Western financial and military help could decrease.

Zelensky disagreed with Zaluzhnyi’s opinion during a press conference with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday. However, he acknowledged that people are exhausted after being at war for 18 months.

People are feeling very tired. Everyone is feeling sleepy or lacking energy. People have different opinions. But everyone is the same as a person, no matter what their status is. However, this does not mean that there is no solution to the situation. I want to make this clear again. We have already discussed this. Zelensky said this is not news.

We should come together and fix the problems, collaborate more with our allies on protecting the airspace, open up the skies again, and empower our team to take aggressive actions. This is something we should consider. Just only this. This text is not about our future location. “But now,” explained Zelensky.

Zaluzhny talked about what Ukraine should do and the kind of help they need from partners to overcome challenges.

However, the way he described the conflict made people in Ukraine question and gained attention from the media worldwide. The interview with Zelensky, given to TIME, made the Ukrainian president seem more and more alone.

“I have the strongest belief in our victory, even when everyone else may doubt it. ” Nobody, according to Zelensky in his conversation with TIME, it is challenging to convince Ukraine’s allies to believe in the same things, and it requires a lot of effort and dedication.

People are getting very tired of the war. It feels like it’s a never-ending feeling that keeps getting worse. Zelensky said, “You can witness this in the United States, in Europe. ”

He said that the war between Israel and Hamas has taken focus away from Ukraine’s fight against Russia, making it harder to keep other countries interested in helping Ukraine.

Certainly, we suffer negative consequences from the happenings in the Middle East. Zelensky said that people are dying and the world needs to help there to save lives.

He made additional comments while von der Leyen was visiting Kyiv on Saturday.

The war in the Middle East is very clear and it distracts everyone’s attention. I believe that one of the goals of the Russian Federation is to achieve something, and this is definitely true. “We observe the results,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader recently showed support for Israel after the Hamas attacks on October 7. He suggested that leaders from around the world should visit Israel and offer help to the people who have been affected by these terrorist attacks.

Ukraine is currently facing a challenging situation as it tries to fight back against Russian forces in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

Kyiv was able to attack from the air and successfully hit a shipyard in the city of Kerch, located in the Russian-held Crimean peninsula.

The leader of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleschuk, praised and congratulated the pilots who carried out the attacks in a message on Telegram. A person in charge from Russia said that a place where ships are built was attacked, but the weapons from the sky stopped the missiles from hitting their target. CNN cannot confirm or check either of the statements on its own.

The Crimean Bridge, which is also called the Kerch Bridge, was closed for two hours on Saturday and no vehicles were allowed to pass during that time. Russian government did not explain why they closed the road that connects mainland Russia to the occupied peninsula.