I do not believe in scenario of betrayal of Ukraine by Western partners - Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not believe in the betrayal of Ukraine by its Western partners and considers such a scenario to be virtually zero.
He said this in an interview with Time magazine, Censor.NET reports citing RBC-Ukraine.
Zelenskyy was asked how he sees himself and his role in the post-war period if a peace agreement is reached.
According to the president, after the war, the country would face several challenges, including a demographic crisis, the issue of reconstruction, infrastructure, and the needs of veterans. However, in his view, the agreement must unite the nation because, in that case, "the nation will be able to address the next issue - how to recover in a just manner."
"I think we will see a surge in morale. The need to rebuild will not be a problem, but the opposite. We will know that we have saved the country, saved our independence, and now we can build it all back. And that will be a really big source of positivity. We will have found the social contract on where things stand and how the war ended. Then, when it comes to the demographic question, if we have this positive moment to motivate us, then people will return," said the head of state.
In Zelensky's view, "if the post-war period is not gray but bright, we will see that we are rising." He expects an influx of investment into Ukraine, regardless of whether he remains president or steps down. The president believes that "when the people feel this rise, the people become more important than any role played by politicians," as "the people are the ones who can bring us back to life."
"In those circumstances, leadership is more like management, rather than in the difficult times, when the nation needs a leader. But if the next phase will be a forced peace, a humiliating one, if Ukraine, God forbid, will be left on her own, and if our partners, for whatever reason, will not be partners to us, then Ukraine will fall into a depression. She will have fought for everyone and ended up alone," Zelenskyy stated.
However, the head of state does not believe in such a development, as "it would be a betrayal by our partners" and considers the chances of such a scenario practically nonexistent.
"Because then we would need to admit the loss of NATO, the EU, Europe, above all America and all of its current leaders. All leaders are different, but they have their own ambitions. They see their role in history. Many of them are no longer young. They want to enter history as leaders who had success. That’s why I don’t believe in these apocalyptic scenarios. Honestly, I don’t," Zelenskyy concluded.
