Putin understands that he cannot completely occupy Ukraine. He has huge losses, - Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that dictator Putin is attempting to force Ukraine out of Donbas through diplomatic means—by engaging in dialogue with the United States—because he knows that a military solution would come at a very high cost to him.
The head of state made this statement in an interview for the podcast *The Rest Is Politics*, according to Censor.NET.
Details
"I believe that Putin understands: he cannot fully occupy Ukraine. It’s just that sometimes he sends messages to our partners that don’t reflect his true thoughts.
He has suffered massive losses and doesn’t have enough well-trained personnel on the battlefield. He is trying to find a way out of the situation that would look like a victory. That is why he is trying to push us out of Donbas through diplomatic means—through dialogue with the United States," he said.
According to Zelenskyy, in order to fully occupy the Donbas, Russia would have to sacrifice between 300,000 and 1 million people—depending on how many years they planned to carry out this operation.
"That's a huge price to pay, even for Putin," the president emphasized.
Withdrawal of troops from Donbas
According to the head of state, the Russians know that if Ukraine withdraws its troops from Donbas, it will divide the Ukrainian people.
"Many people will oppose this. If Ukraine's unity is undermined, Putin will devise a new 'blitzkrieg' to occupy Ukraine very quickly. Even if that doesn’t happen, he will use the ensuing lull to recruit more people, train them, expand his military-industrial base, and push for the lifting of sanctions. Therefore, a ceasefire along the lines of ‘we stand where we stand’ is not just our desire; it is also in the interests of our partners," he concluded.
