Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having already “started World War Three,” insisting that the international community must maintain sustained military and economic pressure to force Moscow to retreat.
Speaking from the heavily secured government headquarters in Kyiv, Zelensky rejected proposals for a temporary ceasefire that would involve territorial concessions.
“I believe that Putin has already started it. The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him, ” he said.
Russia currently controls roughly 20 per cent of Ukraine, including key areas in Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Moscow has demanded further land in ceasefire negotiations, a price Zelensky described as unacceptable.
“I don’t look at it simply as land,” he said. “I see it as abandonment weakening our positions, abandoning hundreds of thousands of our people who live there.”
Zelensky warned that any pause in hostilities would only allow Russia to rebuild its military capacity.
“It would probably satisfy him for a while.
“He needs a pause to regroup, and within a few years he could resume his advance, ” he said.
Despite growing pressure from some Western leaders, including US President Donald Trump, who urged Ukraine to negotiate quickly, Zelensky remained defiant.
“Will we lose? Of course not, because we are fighting for Ukraine’s independence,” he said.
The president framed the conflict as more than a territorial dispute, portraying it as a fight for global stability.
“Stopping Putin today and preventing him from occupying Ukraine is a victory for the whole world. Because Putin will not stop at Ukraine,” he stated.
While Zelensky affirmed Ukraine’s long-term goal of restoring its 1991 borders, he acknowledged the enormous human cost of immediate territorial recovery.
“What is land without people? Honestly, nothing,” he said.
On relations with the United States, Zelensky stressed the importance of institutional guarantees over personal diplomacy, following a tense White House meeting last year.
“It is not only President Trump, we’re talking about America,” he said. “Presidents change, but institutions stay.”
Regarding elections postponed in 2024 due to the full-scale Russian invasion, Zelensky indicated he has yet to decide whether he would seek another term.
He emphasised that credible security guarantees are a prerequisite.
Zelensky also highlighted Ukraine’s urgent need for air defence systems, including U.S.-made Patriot missile batteries, expressing frustration that licences for domestic production have not been granted.
Ending the interview, Zelensky reflected on the uncertain path ahead.
Switching briefly into English, he described diplomacy and battlefield efforts as “parallel tracks,” insisting that success will come when one ultimately forces Russia to stop.
“For us, success is to stop Putin,” he said.
