Calling Allies Not Supporting War on Russian Territory, President Zelensky: We will be Left Alone

President Zelensky while attending the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - The international coalition aiding Ukraine's struggle against an invasion of Moscow will not support Kyiv if it moves the war to Russian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.

The Western Allies led by the United States from the start required that the weapons they provide, ranging from individual anti-air attack weapons, tanks to most recently the promise of delivery of F-16 fighter jets, may only be used to expel Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.

"I believe this is a big risk, we will definitely be left alone," President Zelensky replied when asked whether it was time to move the war to Russian territory, citing CNN, August 28.

President Zelensky said Ukraine's struggle to reclaim its territory was greatly helped by its relationship with its allies.

"Ukraine's progress and responsibility on the battlefield has always been bilateral," President Zelensky said, adding international partners were part of every victory, every delay in counteroffensive, every defensive measure and every weakness.

In addition, President Zelensky also said he believed "pushing the demilitarization of Russia" in Crimea could be done through political means.

In recent months attacks on Russian territory have seen an increase, with Russian officials saying drones and shelling of Ukraine are responsible for attacks that sometimes injure or kill civilians.

Officials in Kyiv have alluded to the incident, but Ukraine has frequently refused to explicitly acknowledge attacks on the border.

In contrast, Ukraine has won credit for naval drone and other weaponry attacks against Russian-held Crimea and targets around the Black Sea, promising more such strikes in the future.

Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula and declared itself annexation in 2014, a move condemned as illegal by Ukraine, the United States and international bodies.

Kyiv has repeatedly stated its goal of expelling Russia from Ukraine, including taking back Crimea.