Ukraine’s Zelensky Calls for Russia to End the War and Achieve Lasting Peace

Kokcha News Agency: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video message, evaluated his phone conversations with leaders of various countries throughout the day. He stated that the discussions focused on necessary solutions to end the Russia-Ukraine war and emphasized that Russia must stop the conflict.

Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to use the issue of halting attacks on Ukraine as a bargaining chip. “The only card he has is his ability to kill, and he is trying to sell the cessation of deaths at the highest price possible. It is important that no one is deceived by this. What is needed is not the cessation of killings, but real and lasting peace. A ceasefire is needed immediately, not months from now,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president noted that since February, Ukraine has accepted all proposals from the U.S. and engaged in talks with Russia to achieve a ceasefire and end the war. He stressed that a results-oriented meeting at the leadership level is necessary to bring the war to an end.

“Putin is Afraid of Sanctions”:
Zelensky also claimed that Putin is trying to prevent the implementation of sanctions against Russia. “Everyone clearly sees Putin’s tactics. He is afraid of sanctions and is doing everything to avoid them. He wants to exchange a pause in the war and killings for the legitimization of the occupation of our territories. He wants to gain territorial spoils for the second time,” Zelensky said.

“We Will Not Allow a Second Attempt to Divide Ukraine”:
Zelensky recalled that Russia has previously attempted to divide Ukraine. “Russia was allowed to take Crimea, and this led to the occupation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. When it amassed troops on our borders, it did not receive preventive punishment. This led to a full-scale war and the occupation of more parts of Ukraine. Now, Putin wants to be forgiven for taking the southern part of the Kherson region, Zaporizhzhia, the entire Luhansk region, Donetsk, and Crimea. We will not allow Russia’s second attempt to divide Ukraine,” he stated.

Zelensky also mentioned that the UK hosted a security meeting today, attended by national security advisors from the U.S., Ukraine, and Europe. He received information about the meeting from Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, and described it as “a constructive meeting.”

Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine must be involved in all peace talks and that Ukrainian officials at the meeting made this clear.