Only "island of Moscow", not Crimea, can force Putin to end war, Zelenskyy says
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that only a direct threat to Russia’s own capital, Moscow, rather than the loss of occupied Crimea, can stop Russian aggression and force dictator Putin to end hostilities. At the same time, the head of the Kremlin is "physically afraid" of meeting him.
The head of state said this in a comment to journalists, Censor.NET informs.
Lies about Crimea and the absence of a "great victory"
Zelenskyy urged not to overestimate Putin’s supposed emotional attachment to the seized Ukrainian territories, noting that for the Russian leader they are purely dry geopolitical tools.
"All his stories about knowing Crimea, loving it, needing it are lies. Just like the east of our state, he knows it only from reports by his officers. He needs to sell his society a great victory. There is no victory. There will be no victory. Only the island of Moscow, not Crimea, can force Putin to end hostilities," the president stressed.
He added that because of constant effective strikes by Ukraine’s Defense Forces on military infrastructure, logistics hubs, and Black Sea Fleet bases in Crimea, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Russian dictator to invent excuses for domestic Russian consumption.
Fear of meeting with Ukraine
According to the Ukrainian leader, the Russian Federation is now facing serious difficulties that undermine its ability to wage a long war of attrition.
- The aggressor state has critical problems with military logistics, ammunition, crude oil, as well as an internal shortage of gasoline and diesel fuel. The situation has worsened so much that the Kremlin has been forced to begin emergency imports of energy resources from other countries.
Commenting on journalists’ questions about the theoretical possibility of a diplomatic settlement and personal talks with Putin, the head of state added:
"We are open, we are ready to meet. He is physically afraid to meet."
