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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has already started World War III, and the only response should be strong military and economic pressure to force him to retreat. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with the BBC, UATV English reports.
According to him, Ukraine is effectively containing this war today, preventing it from escalating into a full-scale global conflict.
“I believe that Putin has already started World War III. The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him. Not because Russia must not win, but because Russia wants to impose a different way of life on the world and change the life that people have chosen for themselves. Stopping Putin today and preventing the occupation of Ukraine is a victory for the entire world, because Putin will not stop at Ukraine,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Western partners should focus on deterring Russia rather than trying to appease Vladimir Putin, since he has no intention of ending the war voluntarily.
“My opinion is that they should stop the Russians, not try to appease them. Because they will lie anyway. They care only about themselves and their own interests,” Zelenskyy said.
The head of state stressed that Putin does not want to end this war, but “does not want to — does not mean will not” under pressure. According to the president, Putin has already started World War III, and Ukraine is currently preventing it from turning into a full-scale global conflict.
Zelenskyy also rejected proposals for territorial concessions in exchange for a temporary ceasefire. He explained that withdrawing from the remaining territories of the Donetsk region would lead to division within Ukrainian society and leave hundreds of thousands of people to fend for themselves.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine counts on long-term security guarantees from the United States, which must be secured at the level of Congress and not depend solely on the personal position of an individual president.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will not agree to territorial concessions in exchange for a ceasefire, since Russian ruler Vladimir Putin does not intend to end the war.
Responding to a journalist’s question about the United States and Russia allegedly offering Ukraine to give up 20% of the territory of the Donetsk region in exchange for a ceasefire, Zelenskyy categorically rejected such a scenario.
According to him, the Russian side will lie in any case, as the Kremlin cares only about its own interests.
“I do not see this simply as land, or only as that. I see it as surrender, as weakening our positions, as leaving hundreds of thousands of our people who live there. That is how I see it. And I am sure that this retreat would divide our society. He (Putin – ed.) does not want to end the war,” the President of Ukraine said.
The head of state also commented on negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. Zelenskyy stressed that the Americans “should stop the Russians, not try to appease them.”
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine does not abandon the goal of returning to the 1991 borders, but acknowledged that the army currently lacks sufficient weapons and manpower to immediately liberate all territories by military means.
“To do this today would mean losing a huge number of people, millions of people, because the Russian army is large, and we understand the cost of such steps,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
Read also: Europeans finally understand war against Ukraine, beginning to take responsibility –Applebaum
