Putin buying time to prolong the war in Ukraine — Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of the fact that not everyone in the world condemns his attacks on Ukraine. He wants to continue the war and is bargaining for time to do so, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address.
The head of state said that as a result of last night's massive Russian strike across the country, 80 people were injured. All of them received medical assistance. There were also fatalities — as of now, four deaths have been confirmed in Kyiv and Lutsk. People may still be trapped under the rubble.
The president noted that the victims in Kyiv were rescuers — Danylo Skadin, Andrii Remennyi, and Pavlo Yezhor — who had arrived at the site of the initial strike and were killed by a follow-up strike by Russian forces.
"Unfortunately, not everyone in the world condemns such attacks. And Putin is taking advantage of that. He is bargaining for time to continue the war. The Russians are constantly trying to divide the world to prevent increased pressure over the war," he added.
According to Zelenskyy, diplomacy must prevail, security guarantees must be ensured, and peace must be established. To achieve this, initial steps are needed — particularly a ceasefire.
"We must put pressure on Russia to make this happen and to stop the attacks," the president emphasized.
Russia refuses ceasefire without conditions
Russia has rejected a ceasefire with Ukraine — even a temporary 30-day one — unless its ultimatum-like conditions are met.
Instead, Moscow is seeking negotiations to create the illusion that it is acting constructively.
Recently, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum outlining its demands for a ceasefire and full peace. Among them: a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions.
