Zelensky: Next year is crucial for Ukraine

ARK News… Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the next year will be decisive for his country, noting that Ukraine continues to prepare its defense and security forces "amid the ongoing Russian aggression," according to the newspaper "Kyiv Independent".

Zelensky, 44, announced that he would deliver his annual state of the nation address to the Ukrainian parliament, according to the German news agency.

He said, in his daily video speech, on Tuesday: “I want this message not to be a report, but rather our dialogue with you about the next year,” adding that the matter is related to formulating tasks for the future.

The letter is expected to be issued by the end of the week, but Zelensky did not give an exact date.

The Ukrainian President also referred to his meeting with the General Staff and said that the situation in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, especially around the small towns of Cremina and Bakhmut, was discussed.

The industrial town of Bakhmut, in the north of the Donetsk region, has been witnessing heavy fighting for months, and outside Cremina; A small town north of Bakhmut in the Lugansk region, the situation has recently come to a head. Both sides are fighting for the upper hand there.

Zelensky referred to a conversation with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Miloni and made it clear that Rome is currently considering the delivery of air defense systems to Ukraine. "I believe that Italian support will allow us to strengthen the defense of Ukrainian airspace," he added.

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