Russia likely to mobilize at least 300,000 more troops to Ukraine war, Zelensky warns

Key Points:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia plans to mobilize an additional 300,000 troops later this year to complete the capture of the Donetsk region, despite suffering heavy losses estimated at 267,000 personnel since the start of the year.
• Zelensky expressed confidence that Russia would not succeed in fully occupying Donetsk and predicted that the newly mobilized Russian forces would be defeated in the east of Ukraine, while also warning of possible Russian incursions into northern regions such as Kharkiv and Sumy.
• On air defense support, Zelensky highlighted a decline in Patriot missile supplies from the US in 2024 compared to 2023 and called for the US to provide up to 10% of its Patriot stockpile to Ukraine, emphasizing the critical role these systems play in defending against ballistic missile attacks.
• Zelensky also addressed challenges in acquiring European Aster missiles despite production increases and revealed ongoing efforts to target Russian ballistic missile launch sites, while noting Ukraine’s development of long-range drones and cruise missiles used against targets inside Russia.
• Regarding peace negotiations, Zelensky indicated a limited window for ending the war before the US 2024 presidential election campaign begins, with US envoys finding it difficult to secure Russian agreement without Ukraine making unacceptable concessions, and efforts underway to outline realistic options for conflict resolution.