President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is afraid of direct negotiations with Ukraine, viewing such actions as a defeat and a sign of weakness.
The head of the Ukrainian state made this statement in an interview with the Associated Press.
"In his (Putin’s – ed.) view, this (direct negotiations – ed.) is his defeat, his weakness. Instead, he promotes the old narrative that this is a war between the West and Russia, because admitting that he is losing to Ukraine is unbearable for him," Zelenskyy noted.
He also emphasized that the Russians do not want to end the war justly.
"They want to end it by destroying Ukrainian freedom and independence. These are not grandiose words; this is their desire and goal. But they have not achieved their aims, have not accomplished the main thing – they have not destroyed Ukraine’s independence. Ukraine stands, thanks to the Ukrainian people, our army, and our partners," the head of state said.
According to Zelenskyy, Putin is desperately signaling, "that he wants to talk — but not with us, with Trump, with America."
"But without Ukraine, such negotiations will yield no results; without us, it would be wrong. If we discuss with President Trump specific steps to end this war and clearly define the path forward — then, maybe, after that, he will be able to talk with the Russians," Zelenskyy said.
He also stressed that Putin does not need to defeat Ukraine to claim victory. If the international community compromises with the Russian Federation, Putin will remain unpunished.
"This will become a dangerous signal: aggression works. Other authoritarian leaders will see that he destroyed Ukraine’s sovereignty and got away with it. That is why any American-Russian negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine are dangerous. No one can decide our fate behind our backs," Zelenskyy emphasized.