Putin definitely not tired of war - Zelensky
He said this in an interview with CNN, Ukrinform reports.
"They don't want this war to be finished. Now, before having any fatigue, everyone has to understand that it’s only the Kremlin and only one person, the head of the Russian Federation, who’s not tired of the war. He [Putin] might be tired of life in principle because of his age, but he’s definitely not tired of the war," Zelensky said.
He noted that when Russia truly wants peace, "we will definitely feel it and see it," however, for now, the Russian side's statements about peace talks remain only words.
"Words are not enough. Stop the war, withdraw from our territory, stop killing people, start reimbursing the damages inflicted on our country. Criminals must be prosecuted, so words are not enough," he added.
According to Zelensky, negotiations with Putin are impossible because he continues to use the language of ultimatums.
"I’ve heard nothing but ultimatums from the current president of the Russian Federation. Starting from February 24, there have been only ultimatums - denazification, demilitarization... Every issue they raise starts with the ‘de’ - they always want to deprive us of something, violently, on our own land. So I said that I am not going to talk to this person if this person conducts these sham ‘referendums’ and recognizes all those sham ‘authorities.’ I said that if they do that, then this means they don’t respect our people, our sovereignty, our rights, our freedoms... What is there to talk to them about? But I haven’t closed the door. I said we would be ready to talk to Russia, but with a different Russia," Zelensky said.
He noted that it would be possible to return to the topic of negotiations with Russia only when the Russian side is ready to make significant concessions.
"They need to return everything: land, rights, freedom, money and, most importantly, justice. To parents who lost their children, money is not enough. It’s not a priority. Brink back justice. And so far I haven’t heard statements like that from the Russian Federation, either from Putin or anyone else," Zelensky said.
