Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says some around the world have started treating as “truth” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that “if Ukraine is not in Donbas, the war will end.”
“Despite everything Russia has said before, its aggression has only grown,” Zelensky said in an interview with Italy’s Rai Italia. “We simply cannot trust the Russian side. We can try to negotiate an end to the war with strong mediators, but the conditions must be such that we do not believe or rely directly on Russia’s words. We must understand that if Ukraine is not in Donbas, there is no guarantee Putin will not continue the war. I would even say the opposite. The fact is that he will continue. What’s uncertain is whether he will continue immediately.”
He said Putin needs time to prepare - staffing brigades, additional divisions, and more. “That takes time. This I believe - he needs that time. But who can guarantee he won’t then continue the occupation? And why should we leave our land that we control? He couldn’t achieve anything on the battlefield—he doesn’t have the forces. He wants us to believe him and simply leave our well-fortified territory. These fortifications limit the capabilities of Russian forces. Putin understands that if we withdraw, he will save from 300,000 to 1 million of his soldiers, depending on the intensity and duration of offensive operations in Donbas. Why should we believe him and hand out such gifts?”
On March 4, Zelensky said the negotiation process to end the war has been suspended due to fighting in the Middle East
