Zelensky announces next stage in war with Russia

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“Now we see that we are not retreating – today this is already a new stage,” Zelensky said during his video address to the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit on May 4.

"Some places we are standing, some territories are blocked by the Russian soldiers and equipment. There, we are waiting for the appropriate equipment from our side, so that we can push and move forward, and in some territories we are moving forward. Therefore, (we’re) not (taking) a step back.”

Zelensky said that first Ukraine had to do everything to stop the war, and then proceed to diplomacy.

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“We’ve done (the first stage, we’ve) stopped Russia, its advance. We did it. The second stage is to make Russia withdraw from our territory as much as possible. We’re now at the second stage. The third stage is to restore maximum territorial integrity,” the Ukrainian President added.

Ukraine will find compromises through dialogue where possible, Zelensky said.

“Ukraine (is) showing its position as an equal partner in any dialogue,” he said.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24th, and today, May 5, is the 71st day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian invading forces tried to advance from the north, east and south, shelling peaceful cities throughout Ukraine from artillery and from the air.

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From the first days of the war, the most difficult situation was observed in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol. For more than a month, Russia shelled Kyiv and the outskirts of the capital, completely destroying a number of settlements. After being defeated in battle, the invaders retreated from the territory of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy Oblasts.

At the moment, the invaders are trying to seize the territories in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts that were under Ukrainian governmental control before the full-scale invasion, since 2014. The invaders are shelling the cities of the regions, and the Ukrainian authorities there have urged residents to evacuate. Parts of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kharkiv oblasts have also been occupied by the enemy.

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On April 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his regular nightly address to the nation that the Russian invaders had begun the battle for Donbas and had concentrated a significant part of their military for an offensive in eastern Ukraine.

On April 22, Russia announced that during the “second phase” of the war against Ukraine, it plans to completely occupy Donbas and southern Ukraine, as well as ensure there is a land corridor from mainland Russian to Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea.