The head of state answered whether he had disagreements with the General Staff and what the military’s plans were regarding mobilization.
The President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky today, December 19, held his annual press conference. The meeting with journalists was kept secret for a long time. The exact location and time were communicated to accredited correspondents prior to the briefing. By the way, there are about 100 of them. What interesting things the head of state said is more than the story.
The military is asking for 500 thousand recruits
In the press conference, the president announced that the General Staff proposed the mobilization of another 500 thousand people in the Defense Forces. According to him, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny raised this problem during the Headquarters.
“The issue is very sensitive, they turned to potential counter-offensive actions. They proposed to increase the mobilization of 450-500,000 people. This is a very serious figure. I said that I need more arguments to support this direction, because it is a matter of people, justice, defense capabilities and finances,” said Zelensky.
The president also assured that he is raising questions with the military regarding the demobilization of some of the troops that have been defending Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
“Mobilizing in this format will cost Ukraine an additional 500 billion hryvnias. Therefore, as the President of Ukraine and a person who spends a lot of time to find financial support for Ukraine, I want understanding from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, and where to get the money,” – added Zelensky.
In addition, the president “stood up” for civilians and admitted that “financial contributions” from the population are needed to support our soldiers.
“You and I must understand that their salaries are paid by our people, by our population, by people who pay taxes. When we talk about this or that mobilization, we must know that a fighter are six people in civilian life paying taxes. And so take 500 thousand people, multiply by 6 and understand how I and the government, all of us, will find an additional three million taxpayers from January, said the president.
Communication with the Commander-in-Chief
Some questions from journalists concerned a possible conflict between the Office of the President and the General Staff. Zelensky responded to this: “I have a working relationship with Zaluzhny… He should be responsible for the results on the battlefield as Commander-in-Chief, together with the General Staff. There are many questions. And also the commander ( OSUV) of Tavria, which is in charge of the operational command.”
“The offensive is a complex issue: something happened, something didn’t happen, something was missing… We need solid steps and results from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine… I plan to work. I look forward to the military’s decisions on mobilization and very specific matters in the field battle… I have no personal questions for him. Everything is personal to my wife,” Zelensky added.
At the same time, the president did not directly answer journalists’ questions about whether he would fire Zaluzhny. The head of state emphasized that he had not previously commented on rumors of a possible conflict, saying: “Why help anyone.”
And about other rumors about a possible change in the military leadership due to the situation on the front, Zelensky answered: “By the end of the year, Ukraine will have an understanding of its next steps on the front.”
“Maryana and Valera fall in love”
The correspondents ignored the noisy statement of the town representative from the Town Servant, Maryana Bezugla. Journalists asked the president what he thought about the accusations against Zaluzhny and whether he shared his colleague’s position.
Zelensky replied that the Commander-in-Chief is his representative, as well as all those appointed by him or with him.
“I am very grateful to some, very shy to others. As for any comments on Facebook, sorry, I don’t do that. I don’t have time. Everyday unnecessary dialogues, to no avail. I use the social network as a platform, as a platform where I can answer some questions… and also as a format for communication with our partners,” said the head of state.
“As for Maryana, Valera, there are many other people. They all like to comment, like on Facebook, they often communicate there. They have dialogues. They have been together since the first days, they are together at the front. They are the ones who will fight. Difficult questions for me “I think we all need to give results to the state. And we will have time for selfies,” added Zelensky.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.