"This is very naive": Zelenskyy on illusions about Putin's desire to end the war

During an interview with Lex Fridman, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dispelled illusions regarding Russian president Volodymyr Putin's desire to end the war.

He stressed that such assumptions were "very naive" and had no basis.

"You suggest talking (with Russia – ed.), but listen, we need to be in a strong position and not talk, but end the war. Yes, we could do it through dialogue, and no one is against it. But you need to be in a strong position for him to want that. Do you think he wants to end the war? That’s very naive, I’m sorry," Zelenskyy emphasized.

The President also recalled the unsuccessful attempts to achieve peace in 2019 during the meeting in the Normandy format with the then leaders of Germany and France, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, as well as Volodymyr Putin.

"We took the first step – we exchanged people. As for the ceasefire? They started killing us within a month. After that, I called him 2-3 more times, and he said he would sort it out, but the people from the occupied territories – the Russians and separatists – continued shooting and killing our people," Zelenskyy recalled.

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