"We are losing people". Zelensky's words about the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged that the Ukrainian army "has not achieved the results he expected." This is one of the rare statements of this kind concerning the ongoing counteroffensive. Experts have suggested for weeks that the troops were at a stalemate.

As winter sets in, Ukraine's conflict with Russia is entering a new phase. "Although we lack the resources to attain our expected results, we are clear about what we're fighting for," President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Associated Press.

"We are entering a new phase of the war, that's a fact. Generally speaking, winter ushers in a different stage of armed conflict," the Ukrainian president stated in a conversation, portions of which were quoted by the media on Friday.

Zelensky pointed out that the Ukrainian army had no intention of surrendering, although it had not yet achieved its desired results.

"We are not backing down, and I am satisfied with that. We are fighting against the second-largest army in the world, and I am proud of that. However, we are losing lives, and that deeply saddens me. We did not get the weapons we needed, and I can't be happy about that either, but I can't complain about it," he stressed.

"We lack the means to achieve our goals quickly. However, that does not mean that we should give up or capitulate. We have faith in our abilities. We are fighting for what rightfully belongs to us," Zelensky added, as quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency among others.

Last week, Zelensky asked his government to prepare a comprehensive package related to military conscription. As reported by "The Guardian," "the changes would involve the utilization of commercial recruitment companies."

Simultaneously, a proposal to draft a larger number of Ukrainians into the army has been on the president's table since June. So far, the wartime leader has resisted army pressure to sign the documents, Bloomberg reported. There is talk of potentially drafting as many as 140,000 conscripts to augment the ranks of the army.