Kiev has no choice but to fight to re-establish the country’s 1991 borders, because the world failed to guarantee its security and Ukraine is alone in paying the price of the conflict, President Vladimir Zelensky has said in an interview published on Thursday.
The Economist spoke with Zelensky on December 8, but published an edited transcript only a week later. Just two days prior to the interview, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a ceasefire based on current frontlines would be a “phony peace” and that Washington will back Kiev whatever it decides to do and how.
Asked about Blinken’s phrasing – “take back territory that’s been seized from it since February 24” – Zelensky told the UK-based outlet that he actually want to restore the original borders of his country, including Crimea and all of Donbass.
“[This] is how it should end because otherwise it is not finished, it is just frozen. Just to leave it as it is now, to say, OK, let’s stop and they take Donbas, the south of our country, or part of it, and Crimea remains with them … Why?” he said. “We will not be able to, no one would forgive it.”