Zelensky: What Putin really wants from the talks

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, partly agrees to diplomatic contacts with Ukraine solely out of fear of new sanctions from the West. Moscow is using talks as a tool to show the world the appearance of dialogue, in particular, to avoid the United States' sanctions.

Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about it in the interview with Bild.

Russia is creating an "illusion" that talks are still ongoing

Zelensky explained that the Kremlin is trying to create the illusion of a "diplomatic bridge" between Kyiv and Moscow to show, in particular to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, that "contact with Ukraine exists". In this way, Russia can claim that it is allegedly negotiating, so there is no need to impose sanctions, because otherwise the dialogue is over.

Another goal of Putin's is to isolate Ukraine from its Western partners. According to Zelensky, the Kremlin seeks to negotiate without the participation of Europe and the United States in order to leave Kyiv alone and exhaust Ukraine in a protracted war without external assistance.

"A protracted war without the support of partners (of Ukraine — Ed.) would be ideal for Putin. He cannot stand a long war with partners and sanctions", the President said.

What does Zelensky think of Trump's position on Russia?

Commenting on Donald Trump's position, Zelensky noted that he sees Russia's insincerity and realises that Moscow is lying about its intentions. Despite the fact that Trump criticises not only Putin but also Zelensky himself, the Ukrainian leader is ready to accept this if such criticism contributes to ending the war.

He also emphasized that Putin recognises only the language of force, and it is the United States that has the power to influence Russia. Zelensky expressed hope that the American government is aware of its role in deterring the aggressor.

Speaking about sanctions, Zelensky called their slow implementation the main mistake. According to him, it allowed the Kremlin to adapt the economy and the defence industry to the restrictions. The President is confident that new sanctions should be introduced as soon as possible, before Putin has time to prepare for new waves of pressure.

In conclusion, the President of Ukraine emphasized that the more active the support of Western partners, the fewer lives will be lost.

"People are not wood to be thrown into the fire. We do not treat our own people the way the Russians do," he summarized.

As a reminder, the European Commission presented the new sanctions package against Russia.