Defiant Zelensky says Ukraine will mobilise 500,0000 more soldiers as he admits ‘difficult year’ but vows to beat Putin
UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he will mobilise 500,000 more troops to join the fight against Russia.
At his end-of-year address, the defiant leader vowed that it has been a "difficult year" but that Ukraine will fight till the end.
The Ukrainian president is currently holding a rare press conference to discuss the state of the war and hopes for the new year.
Zelensky kicked off his address by stating: "This is a difficult year that is coming to an end," however he told Ukrainians never to lose "our resilience".
"We are fighting for a future to be chosen by ourselves not the Russian Federation."
In order to do this, the embattled leader said the Ukrainian army has asked for an extra 450-500,000 men to be drafted.
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"This is a sensitive issue," Zelensky added.
Kyiv is set to face a difficult winter ahead with issues that Zelensky believes centre around securing military aid, artillery shells, anti-tank missiles and repairs for military equipment.
However, he said: "We are not ready to give up, to let go, from day one to the last day this will be the same, our objectives remain the same and together we can bring this victory closer."
When asked if there was any possibility of "defeat", Zelensky confidently responded: "No."
Dressed in his usual military fatigues and black jumper, the president said that Ukraine has won a "big victory" on the Black Sea.
"The Russian fleet is no longer dominating in the Black Sea... it is no longer able to influence us and what we export and cannot block our economy.
"We are forcing it to leave our territorial waters and the occupied peninsula [Crimea]."
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