PRESS RELEASE : More help from partners will allow Ukraine to turn the tide of the war, defeat Russia – Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with The Hill

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 27 August 2022.

Ukraine will be able to defeat the aggressor with modern weapons from partners, which will significantly increase the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but Russia will try to prevent such a development by provoking crises in Europe. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said this in an interview with the U.S. publication The Hill.

He said that maintaining strength of Ukrainian forces on the battlefield and effective defense allows it possible to push back on Russia’s attempts to force Ukraine into so-called negotiations, which will be a “death sentence” for our country.

“President Zelenskyy is definitely against it [negotiations], and the Ukrainian society is adamant there, because we fully appreciate the risks,” the adviser to the head of the Office of the President said.

Absent negotiations, Podolyak said Vladimir Putin is likely to focus on a war of attrition to grind down international support.

“They will start to manipulate, behind the scenes, moods, activities, to profess and to deepen this war fatigue,” the adviser to the head of the President’s Office said.

Podolyak said that the Russian Federation is capable of manufacturing crises in Europe like sending an overwhelming number of migrants to Europe’s borders. Or it could also think of some terrorist attacks against infrastructural facilities in Europe, so that they can arrive at some negotiation position, or standing for their own benefits and their own plans.

The adviser to the head of the President’s Office said that the needed modern weapons can quickly turn the tide of the war, if the country can get more of them faster. This was repeatedly emphasized by the political and military leadership of our country.

Podolyak noted the importance of the new additional U.S. assistance of $3 billion for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to him, this assistance is also an important signal to encourage other, more cautious, Western powers to give more active support for Ukraine.