«He does not want to end the war»: Zelenskyy comments on Putin's signals and disagreements with US plan

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: _nikvesti

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressive statements are not new, and that Russia's ability to continue the war directly depends on the level of sanctions and diplomatic pressure from Western partners.

The head of state said this on 18 December, answering questions from journalists before his trip to Brussels, according to «Suspilne».

Commenting on the Russian president's statements about his intention to continue to hold the occupied Ukrainian territories, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Vladimir Putin's desire to continue the war does not coincide with Russia's real capabilities, provided that sanctions are effective.

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«The signals that Putin is sending are not new to us. I have repeatedly said that he does not want to end the war. The question is whether he can continue it. This already depends on our partners, primarily on sanctions and diplomatic pressure», the President said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed doubts about the ability of the Russian economy to support the war on the same scale if sanctions are effective.

He confirmed that the United States has been stating in both public and private formats that Putin is ready to end the war. Ukraine, he said, supports diplomatic efforts, but the negotiation process remains difficult.

«We do not agree with all the provisions of possible future agreements. This applies to the territorial issue, financing, frozen assets and a number of other aspects that have not yet been agreed upon», Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his intention to continue waging war against Ukraine, despite the work of Kyiv, the United States and European countries on peace proposals.

It should be noted that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov has recently stated that Moscow is ready to conclude a peace agreement, but does not intend to make concessions on the issue of territories.

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv's position on Donbas remains unchanged — Ukraine will not agree to recognise this territory as Russian, either in fact or in law.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the United States is also offering compromise options, including the idea of creating a free economic zone. He stressed that such a model in no way implies governance by the Russian Federation.