Zelensky: Putin never wanted to end war in Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin never intended to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, and called for increased pressure on Moscow.
He made these remarks in an interview with CNN, according to Ukrinform.
“Putin never wanted to end the war. They were afraid of President Trump’s moves and pressure from America. That’s why he played this game, pretending to seek negotiations,” Zelensky said.
The president is convinced that the United States must exert significant pressure on Putin; otherwise, he said, the Russian leader will not agree to negotiations.
“He only wants ultimatums from us, demanding that we withdraw from our territory. But he won’t stop there. No, no, that’s not enough for him,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader noted that the situation in Iran is bringing Putin more money, while the lifting of sanctions by the U.S. benefits the Kremlin leader personally.
“And that is precisely why, of course, this gives Putin confidence that he can continue the war,” Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine has now asked the United States to set a date for a trilateral meeting, noting that Kyiv has always supported this format, as well as Trump and his team.
“Right now, the American side has postponed the meeting because of Iran. However, if we truly want to stop the war, we need to meet at the technical working group level; we need to meet at the leadership level. We need to put more pressure on Russia. If we don’t take these steps, we won’t get any closer to peace,” Zelensky said.
As reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine had successfully thwarted a major offensive operation that Russia had planned to launch at the end of last year.
Photo: OP