Why post-war negotiations benefit Putin - Zelenskyy
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin would benefit from sitting down for negotiations. However, in reality, he does not want to negotiate, says President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Ukrainian Radio.
"I think that Putin does not want peace at all. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want to sit down (at the negotiating table) with some world leaders. Why? Because for him, it’s the dismantling of the political isolation that has been built since the start of the war. And for him, it’s beneficial — sitting, talking, and not reaching an agreement. I would say it’s beneficial for Putin," he said.
According to the president, it is advantageous for the Kremlin leader to prolong the process.
"Foremost, imagine that he is essentially unable to travel to the civilized world. To talk and reach agreements means traveling somewhere, and that means (he must) unblock his exit. It’s the dismantling, once again, of the isolation that was created by the civilized world (around Putin) because of the killings of Ukrainians. These are steps in the process of ending Putin's political isolation as a politician. So it is beneficial for him to sit (at the negotiating table), but reaching an agreement is not in his interest," the president explained.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Putin would benefit from negotiating today on terms of Ukraine's capitulation.
"Yes, it’s beneficial for him. But no one will give that to him," he noted.
Putin's arrest warrant
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Since then, he could be detained in other countries for trial, but Moscow immediately declared the warrant "legally null and void."
However, the arrest warrant issued by the ICC did not prevent Putin from traveling to Mongolia in early September this year. Following this, the European Union urged all countries that ratified the Rome Statute to fulfill their obligations, specifically regarding the arrest of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin based on the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Previously, similar trips by Putin were canceled at the last moment, such as his planned attendance at the BRICS summit in South Africa in August 2023.v
