Russia will not relent in its offensive against Ukraine because it does not feel that the global community stands in solidarity against it, President Vladimir Zelensky said on Monday. He ruled out peace with Russia at any price, despite Moscow repeatedly declaring it is open to talks with Kiev.
In an interview with the British tabloid The Sun, Zelensky said he believed Russia “will push until the United States and China together will tell them very, very seriously to go out of [our] territory,” adding that he believed Ukraine is the epicenter of a potential World War III.
Russia, the Ukrainian leader continued, is not “afraid” because it doesn’t face a unified global opposition.
While most Western countries, including the US, have condemned Moscow’s military operation against Kiev and imposed unprecedented sanctions, China and numerous countries of the Global South have embraced a neutral stance and maintained relations with Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed last week that the West has failed to reduce Russia to a “rogue state,” with Moscow still taking part in numerous global summits and events as the global majority does not want the West to dictate its foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Zelensky attempted to temper the West’s expectations, admitting that Ukraine now has “a lot of challenges” and that Kiev “need[s] more successful results on the battlefield.” “This is not a movie; it can’t be magic each day,” the former actor added. His comments came amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia, which has been underway since early summer but has failed to gain any substantial ground. Moscow has estimated Kiev’s losses at 90,000 troops since the start of the push.
The Ukrainian president also stressed that Kiev would never agree to any settlement that would see it recognize Crimea and four other regions that overwhelmingly voted join Russia last autumn as part of the neighboring country. Kiev “will not be ready for such a peace plan… That is finishing the war from the side of Russia,” he explained.
Meanwhile, NBC reported earlier this month that Western officials were in talks with Kiev to see whether it could consider some concessions to Russia to end the conflict, as they get increasingly worried that Ukraine is “running out of forces.” On Monday, Aleksey Danilov, Ukraine’s security chief, said that Kiev was concerned by “discussions among certain partners” about a potential ceasefire, reiterating that his country intended to “fight to the end.”
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