Russia could attack a NATO member ‘within five years’, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Sky News that Vladimir Putin could attack a NATO country within five years to test the alliance.
The Ukrainian president made the comments in an interview with chief presenter Mark Austin.
But when asked if Russia could attack within months, Mr Zelenskyy said he did not “believe [Putin] is ready”.
Mr Zelenskyy also said plans for NATO members to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 are “very slow” – adding: “We believe that, starting from 2030, Putin can have significantly greater capabilities.
“Today, Ukraine is holding him up, he has no time to drill the army.”
Russia’s soldiers are “all getting annihilated and wiped out at the battlefield”, he warned.
“In any case, [Putin] needs a pause, he needs sanctions to be lifted, he needs a drilled army.
“And 10 years is a very long time. He will have a new army ready [by then].”
Zelenskyy appeared defiant – but he's struggling to make himself heard
Mark Austin
He’s an embattled wartime leader struggling to make himself heard. For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the war in Iran could not have come at a worse time.
Suddenly the world’s attention is on a different conflict and most crucially so is the attention of the most powerful man in the world, Donald Trump.
But this is a big 24 hours for Zelenskyy, a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street followed by the NATO summit in The Hague.
When I sat down with President Zelenskyy in the last few hours he had two main issues on his mind.
Firstly, the proposed spending pledge by NATO countries of 5% of GDP by 2035 – that he said was too slow and warned that Putin would be ready with a new army within five years. He said the Russian leader would likely attack a NATO country within a few years to test Article 5.
Then he was on to sanctions, which he told me, were not working. Countries, including the UK, were allowing dual use components used in the production of drones and missiles to still get into Russian hands and must be blocked.
He also still insisted there would be no negotiations without a ceasefire. This war is not going well for Ukraine right now.
Three-and-a-half years into it, the fighting goes on and Zelenskyy appeared to be a defiant president determined to see it through.
In a wide-ranging interview, the Ukrainian president said:
• Tensions in the Middle East may mean Ukraine gets less aid from partners including the US – meaning “Russia will feel the advantage on the battlefield”
• British missile components are making their way into Russia
• He may not be the best man to lead Ukraine through the rest of the war, but he is “the most experienced”
• The US and Russia “may be short-term partners, but they will never be friends” while Donald Trump is in power
• Mr Zelenskyy also refused to answer whether he felt “bullied” during their disastrous Oval Office meeting – but said he “conducted himself honestly”.
The UK and its NATO allies will formally sign off the defence spending plans when the heads of state and government meet in The Hague today and tomorrow.
The spending goal is broken down into 3.5% of GDP to be spent on pure defence and 1.5% of GDP on related areas, such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Defence spending of 5% is the kind of level invested by NATO allies during the Cold War.
Mr Zelenskyy met Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle at parliament on Monday, before travelling to Windsor Castle for a meeting with the King.
The Ukrainian president has been invited to the NATO summit, but will not take part in its main discussions. It is still unclear whether he will attend.
You can watch the full interview throughout the day on Sky News