Zelenskyy responds to Putin's "conditions for ending the war"
He compared the Russian dictator to Hitler, recalling that the latter began his conquest of Europe by demanding that part of Czechoslovakia be given to him
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on today's statements by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who said that Ukraine should withdraw troops from four regions of Ukraine and refuse to join NATO.
In an interview with Italian TV channel SkyTG24, Zelenskyy compared Putin's proposals to the policy of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who also made new territorial claims against neighbouring states.
"As for these messages, they are ultimatum. They are no different from the ultimatums that were issued earlier. We can really see that this is the second revival of Nazism. This is a new wave because it is Russian Nazism," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"These messages are the same as Hitler's... It hasn't been a hundred years since he said: "Give me a part of Czechoslovakia and everything will be over". No, this is a lie, historically. After that, he had Poland: "Give me a part of Poland". After that, the whole of Europe was occupied," the president said.
According to Zelenskyy, Putin's statements that the war will end with the annexation of four Ukrainian regions cannot be believed, and he will not stop there.
"Putin is following the same path as Hitler. Today he is already talking about four regions, and before that it was Crimea and Donbas," Zelensky reminded.
Kyiv does not see a peaceful proposal in the conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine announced by Putin, said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian president's office.
"There are no new 'peace proposals' from Russia. Putin only voiced the 'standard set of the aggressor' that has already been voiced many times. Its content is quite specific, extremely offensive to international law and eloquently speaks of the inability of the current Russian leadership to adequately assess realities," he wrote on his Twitter page. According to him, Putin's proposals contain "no novelty and no desire to end the war."
During Friday's meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry, Putin said that it was not about freezing the conflict, but about its final end, assuring that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be guaranteed a safe withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian territory.
Among other things, the Kremlin leader also said that agreements on the end of the war should include the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
On Saturday and Sunday, an international conference on the peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine will be held in Switzerland to discuss the Ukrainian plan to end the conflict.
Among other things, the "Formula for Peace" provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from all occupied territories of Ukraine, compensation and punishment of those responsible for war crimes.
Read more about the likelihood of bringing Russia to justice for crimes in Ukraine in Mind's article "Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine: "In the opinion of the PACE Committee, the most optimal and realistic solution is to establish an international tribunal on the basis of an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine".
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