Ukraine could have already ended war if it had access to needed weapons: Zelenskyy

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - Ukraine could have already ended the war launched by Russia if it had access to all the weapons it needed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Tuesday.

Addressing his country in a video posted on his Telegram channel, Zelenskyy said: "If we had access to all the weapons we need, which our partners have and which are comparable to the weapons used by the Russian Federation, we would have already ended this war."

Urging Ukraine's partners to supply the ammunition and weapons, he said "it is their moral duty first of all to help protect freedom, help save the lives of thousands of Ukrainians."

"That is why I emphasize the simple truth in literally every contact with the leaders of the democratic world -- in all negotiations, in all interviews. It is unfair that Ukraine is still forced to ask for what its partners have been storing somewhere for years," he added.

Noting that the Ukrainian army’s tactical superiority is "quite obvious," Zelenskyy pointed out that the Ukrainian Armed Forces stand firm and the entire people of Ukraine defend their country bravely.

"In this war, the Russian army will forever inscribe itself in world history as perhaps the most barbaric and inhuman army in the world."

Zelenskyy noted that the Russian army deliberately killed Ukrainian civilians, destroyed settlements and civilian infrastructure and used all kinds of weapons, including those prohibited by international conventions, adding these actions are "the signature of the Russian army."

At least 2,104 civilians have been killed and 2,862 injured in Ukraine so far in the war that started on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure believed to be much higher.

More than 4.9 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7 million more internally displaced, said the UN refugee agency.