Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an emotional address at the Munich Security Conference, has disclosed previously unknown details of negotiations with international partners on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion.
As reported by Hvylya, the head of state recalled how he attempted to secure guarantees of military support from the United States through then-Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
According to the President, he requested that Ukraine be provided with Stingers, Javelins, and other tangible weaponry to demonstrate to the Kremlin that Kyiv was not standing empty-handed. However, the response from the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, was staggering.
"I told Zaluzhnyi: tell them we need Javelins, Stingers, and real weapons—something real to stop the Russian army. However, the answer Zaluzhnyi brought back to me from Milley was 'Just dig trenches.' Just imagine: hundreds of thousands of Russian troops on your borders, and all you hear is 'just dig trenches,'" Zelensky said.
"Slave of War"
A significant portion of the speech was dedicated to a psychological portrait of Vladimir Putin. The President expressed his conviction that the Russian dictator is no longer capable of returning to a normal life and thinks in categories of past centuries.
"Putin does not live like ordinary people. He cannot imagine life without power—or after power. Ordinary things do not interest him. He consults with Tsar Peter and Empress Catherine regarding territorial conquests rather than with any living person about real life," the Ukrainian leader noted, adding that Putin has become a "slave of war."
Critical Air Defense Shortage and Enemy Losses
Turning to the current frontline situation, Zelensky highlighted a severe shortage of air defense missiles. He admitted that the hardest part for a wartime leader is receiving reports of depleted air defense units while intelligence warns of a massive strike within a day or two.
Nevertheless, the effectiveness of Ukrainian defenders remains high, with nearly 90% of Shahed drones being intercepted. However, the President reminded that not a single power plant in Ukraine remains undamaged by Russian strikes.
"Every night we face at least a hundred Shaheds, sometimes 400–500, and we shoot down 90% of them," Zelensky stated.
"Among other tools, we use various types of interceptors, and what you see now are real videos of these interceptions. Together with our partners, we are producing more of them every day, and we will reach a point where we produce enough to make Shaheds insignificant for Russia. But the key words here are 'together'—together with our partners."
Zelensky also provided statistics on the aggressor's losses, demonstrating the price of Russian ambitions:
"In December, 35,000 occupiers were killed or seriously wounded; in January, about 30,000. 156 soldiers is the price Russia pays for every kilometer of Ukrainian land."
Diplomacy and the "Shadow Fleet"
The President urged Europe to take more decisive action, particularly against Russia’s "shadow fleet," which consists of over a thousand tankers. "Without oil money, Putin would not have the funds for this war," he emphasized.
Regarding negotiations, Zelensky noted that Moscow only began taking diplomacy seriously after effective strikes on Russian refineries and discussions about Tomahawk missiles. He also criticized the absence of European leaders at the negotiating table, calling it a "major mistake."
"Ukraine will do everything to ensure the negotiations are successful; we are in constant contact with Witkoff and Kushner," the President stated.
"Today we are meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Ukraine wants the result of all these efforts to be real security and real peace. It seems Putin wants to repeat Munich—not the Munich of 2007, when he only spoke about dividing Europe, but the Munich of 1938, when a previous 'Putin' began actually dividing Europe."