The head of state revealed this in an interview with the Associated Press.
Zelensky compared Western intelligence to "sappers in a minefield," exploring what could bring the parties closer to ending the war. At the same time, the president emphasized that "certain moments in history" suggest that without Ukraine, "nothing can be built."
"There seems to be a control over the war, where everyone will lose. First and foremost, Ukraine. I remember how partners advised against taking steps that would lead to escalation. For instance, I fought for a long time to get the capability for long-range actions, but I was denied because they said it would cross the 'red lines'," Zelensky recounted.
According to the president, partners explained that if Ukraine were to carry out long-range strikes, Russia would respond with counterattacks.
"They threatened with nuclear and other messages. This indicates that [Western and Russian intelligence] were communicating with each other. Because the U.S. or someone from Europe cannot simply say: if you hit deep into military targets in Russia, then the RF may launch a nuclear strike,” the head of state clarified.
He added that the delay in supplying arms was linked to the political will of partners, rather than financial issues.
“This then led to our territorial losses, our weakness, and pauses in the supply of weapons. It was the case with Air Defence, it was the case with Patriot,” Zelensky noted.
However, the head of state emphasized that he does not blame partners, as they believed they could "slightly reduce the intensity of the war." Thus, according to the head of state, partners requested not to strike at Russian energy facilities.
Recall that in the same interview, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is closer to peace now than ever in nearly three years of full-scale war. At the same time, he warned U.S. President Donald Trump against negotiating a settlement of the war in Ukraine involving Moscow but without Kyiv.