Zelenskyy reveals what drives Russia to keep fighting

Any delay by the West in providing assistance to Ukraine, particularly missiles for the country's air defense, encourages Russia to keep fighting, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his regular video address on July 5.

"A separate message to our partners: any delay in supplying missiles for our air defense, missiles for the Patriots, costs lives and encourages Russia to keep fighting," he said.

Zelenskyy says he is convinced the world has enough air defense systems of the necessary quality. What is needed, he stressed, are decisions to transfer them to Ukraine.

"Above all, this requires decisions by the United States and by strong countries in Europe and around the world. Please, be decisive and protect lives. Patriot missiles are needed not in storage, but with Patriot batteries in Ukraine," the president said.

In his view, US political will would be enough to cover the air defense shortfall.

"But so far, that support has not been sufficient," Zelenskyy said.

He added that he wants "to bring this war to a dignified end" and end it with "a real peace."

"Every day now, we are delivering results through our long-range sanctions against Russia. Medium-range sanctions are also important. We want our people in Crimea and in other parts of Ukraine's occupied territory to understand that Ukraine's only goal is to make the continuation of the occupation as unbearable as possible for the occupier. And that is exactly what we are doing," Zelenskyy concluded.