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Stopping Russia Now Key to Preventing World War III, Zelenskyy Says
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In a recent conversation with the BBC on February 23, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has already transitioned into a global conflict. The Ukrainian leader argued that the focus of the international community should now be on how to halt the Russian advance and limit the amount of territory seized.
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He noted that the Kremlin is attempting to force a different way of life on the world and disrupt the choices people have made for their own societies.
“I believe that Putin has already started it (World War III - ed.). The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him... Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves,” Zelenskyy said.
Addressing the pressure to withdraw troops from eastern regions to secure a ceasefire, Zelenskyy explained that such a move would be seen as an abandonment of the population.
He stated that he does not view the conflict simply as a struggle over land, but as a responsibility to hundreds of thousands of citizens living in those areas. He warned that any forced withdrawal would likely cause deep divisions within Ukrainian society.
“I see this differently. I don't look at it simply as land. I see it as abandonment - weakening our positions, abandoning hundreds of thousands of our people who live there. That is how I see it. And I am sure that this “withdrawal” would divide our society,” he added.
Zelenskyy also expressed skepticism regarding the long-term effectiveness of a ceasefire based on territorial concessions. He suggested that such an agreement would only provide the Russian military with a necessary pause to recover and rearm.
While some estimates suggest it could take several years for Russia to prepare for another major offensive, Zelenskyy believes the timeline could be much shorter.
“It would probably satisfy him for a while... he needs a pause... but once he recovers, our European partners say it could take three to five years. In my opinion, he could recover in no more than a couple of years. Where would he go next? We do not know, but that he would want to continue the war is a fact,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President concluded by stating that stopping Russia now is essential for global security. He believes that the Russian leadership has ambitions beyond Ukraine and that a victory for Ukraine—restoring the borders established in 1991—represents a victory for international justice.
Despite the high cost of the war, he remains committed to the goal of preserving national independence.
Earlier, reports following several rounds of peace talks in Abu Dhabi indicated that two primary issues remained unresolved: the status of territory in Ukraine’s Donetsk region and the future of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine was prepared for further dialogue and had reached an understanding with the United States on various other points, he remained firm that any high-level meetings could not take place in Russia or Belarus.
He explained that it was absolutely impossible to meet in Moscow because that country is the aggressor that started Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while Belarus has acted as its partner in those actions.
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