Zelensky says ‘pauses’ in conflict would help Russia

TALLINN  –    Ukrainian President Volody­myr Zelensky warned Thursday that any “pauses” in Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion would only help Moscow to re-arm and allow it to “run us over”. Zelensky spoke in Estonia on the second leg of a Baltic tour aimed at boosting flag­ging support for his coun­try’s almost two-year long fight against Russia. “Give the Russian Federation two to three years, then they will simply run us over. We wouldn’t take that risk… There will be no pauses in favour of Russia,” he said at a press conference with Es­tonia’s President Alar Karis. He added that a “long war” would also not be good for Ukraine. “We are against this war from the first day and will be until the last,” he said. Zelensky also said Kyiv “deserves” an invita­tion to join NATO, saying its army would “strengthen” the bloc’s eastern flank. He said the bloc would gain “an army with military experi­ence — not theory but prac­tice.” Ukraine has expressed some frustration towards Western allies for the lack of a timeframe to join the Western security alliance.