Russian President Vladimir Putin understands only the language of force, and Ukraine is showing him this language by striking targets on Russian territory. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with CNN Türk.
„I can only speak about the issues that concern us. For example, let's look at the targets we are striking in Russia. Putin understands no other language than the language of force, and that is exactly what we are showing him“, Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president also defended the attacks on Russian oil refineries. According to him, they are part of Ukraine's response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zelensky said Moscow was using its revenues to continue the war and strike Ukrainian cities.
„You cannot decide the fate of Ukraine without Ukraine“
In the interview, Zelensky rejected the possibility that the United States, Russia and China could negotiate Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity without Kiev's participation. He named US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping as statesmen who may have their own issues to discuss, but should not decide Ukraine's fate unilaterally.
„You cannot decide the fate of Ukraine without Ukraine. Sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be discussed without us,“ the Ukrainian president said. According to him, any agreement to end the war must be reached with the participation of the direct parties to the conflict.
This position was also confirmed by RBC-Ukraine, which quoted the interview and indicated that Zelensky described negotiations on the future of the country without its participation as illogical and doomed to failure.
Zelensky is ready to meet with Putin in Turkey
In the conversation, the Ukrainian president said that he was ready to meet with Putin in Turkey and welcomed the possibility of Ankara mediating between Kiev and Moscow. Zelensky said that Turkey could host a meeting at the leadership level and that Ukraine would accept a similar format.
He recalled that Russia had declared its intention to take over Ukraine in a few days, but had failed to achieve this goal. According to Türkiye Today, Zelensky stressed that the war must move from the “hot phase“ towards diplomacy, but on condition that Ukraine participates directly in the negotiations.
The issue of attacks on Russian oil infrastructure has already sparked a public dispute between Kiev and Washington. In an interview with ABC News in October, Zelensky said that Ukraine would stop attacks on Russian refineries if Russia stopped attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Sources: turkiyetoday.com, newsukraine.rbc.ua, abcnews.com