Zelensky says he does not have the strength to expel Russian troops from Crimea and Donbass

Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky explained Wednesday that the Ukrainian army does not have the strength to regain the Crimean and Donbass territories.

He maintained that he only has the support of the international community to push forward negotiations to regain the territories. Moreover, he maintained that he does not intend to give them up.

"We cannot give up our territories. It is the Ukrainian Constitution that forbids us to do so. De facto, these territories are today controlled by the Russians. We do not have the strength to take them back. We can only count on diplomatic pressure from the international community to force Putin to the negotiating table," Zelensky said in an interview with French media Le Parisien.

"I am surprised: why does the West, which supports us, not take things seriously? Why, from the beginning of the war, were we not massively equipped with weapons? My speech may seem insolent. But I have the impression that the whole world is terrified of Putin's Russia. He has impunity. We need a strong United States and Europe to put pressure on Putin and stop this war," the Ukrainian leader added.

In that regard, he stressed that the whole world should be concerned with Putin's threats regarding the use of nuclear weapons. He questioned the actions of the international community in the face of the situation in Ukraine.

"Only madmen are not afraid of weapons. Vladimir Putin has lost his mind, his missile shipments prove it. His threats should scare the whole world - we are talking about nuclear war! We should adopt all possible sanctions to prevent any leader from even thinking about it, Putin as much as anyone else. Unfortunately, we don't see strong enough reactions to it," Zelensky stressed.

The Ukrainian president's comments came before meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The meeting was attended by several European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Just this Tuesday, Zelensky called on his allies to urgently send more aid for his troops fighting against Russian forces.

Ahead of a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Zelensky said they would address how to urgently strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield, politically and geopolitically.