Zelenskyy says Ukrainians 'need to learn to live with conflict' like Israel
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said that Ukrainians, like Israelis, need to cope with long-term conflict.
“We need to learn to live with [the conflict]. We need to learn. Israel is at war. It depends on what kind of war,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are prepared to keep fighting for a very long period of time… [while] minimizing the number of casualties. Like in Israel, for example. We can live like that,” added the Ukrainian leader.
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in what has become the largest war in Europe since the Second World War. With neither side willing to give up their respective goals, the war in Ukraine increasingly looks to become a protracted conflict, with some similarities to daily life in the Jewish state. Despite not enjoying a single day of peace since its re-establishment in May 1948, Israel has, against all odds, succeeded in building a modern and successful society that has become a source of inspiration for many nations worldwide.
However, Zelenskyy argued that, unlike Israel, Ukraine is not able to bring the war to the enemy’s territory for fear it would lose the massive Western support it is currently enjoying.
Kyiv is currently facing the superpower Russia and Ukraine's offensive capabilities are vastly more limited than Israel's, however, Ukraine has nevertheless succeeded in launching drone attacks against the Russian capital Moscow.
“Ukraine needs to know that at some point, it may be left on its own,” Zelenskyy warned.
It is unlikely that Russia would permit Ukraine to join NATO anytime soon as the Russians view Ukraine as its strategically important backyard. Instead, Zelenskyy appears to focus on securing American security support, just as the Jewish state has for decades.
“The Israeli model… we will likely get this exact model," Zelenskyy said.
"The Israeli model that includes weapons, technology, training, finances, etc. Unlike most Western democracies, Israel is not a NATO member and has always relied on its own defense when facing numerous security threats along its borders," he noted.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
