“Almost Zero Sovereignty”: Putin Brands Zelenskyy “Illegitimate” and Warns Ukraine Can’t Resist Without Aid

Russian leader Vladimir Putin made bold claims about Ukraine’s sovereignty and its ability to continue resisting Russia’s aggression during a recent interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin of the state-run VGTRK, which was shared on a Telegram channel on January 28.

Putin asserted that Ukraine’s sovereignty is “almost zero” and linked the continuation of the war directly to Western financial and military support.

“Speaking about the Ukrainian issue, everything will end in a month and a half or two if Ukraine runs out of sponsor money and ammunition,” Putin stated.

Putin further claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “an illegitimate leader” and accused him of being unable to negotiate or make binding decisions.

“He has no right to sign anything,” Putin remarked.

On January 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for Il Foglio, discussing key issues such as Donald Trump’s position on the war, the failures of the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine’s need for strong security guarantees, and the impact of Russia’s war.