President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Vladimir Putin has already launched World War III and proposed ways to stop him. He also defined what victory for Ukraine in the war against Russia would mean.
World War III Has Already Begun
The Ukrainian president made these remarks in an interview with the BBC. He said that Putin has already begun World War III. According to him, the only way to counter Russia is to exert strong military and economic pressure to force it to retreat.
“I believe that Putin has already started it. 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.
He added that World War III has not escalated into a full-scale global phase thanks to the resistance of the Ukrainian people.
Zelenskyy also stressed that Ukraine will not yield to Russian pressure to give up occupied territories in exchange for a ceasefire. He emphasized that this is not merely a territorial issue.
“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,” the President said, adding that such a “withdrawal” would divide Ukrainian society.
He noted that Ukraine’s surrender of territories might satisfy Putin temporarily. However, according to Zelenskyy, Russia only needs a pause and, once it recovers, would continue the war. He referred to forecasts by European partners suggesting that a lull before a new attack could last from three to five years.
How Ukraine Sees Victory
Zelenskyy said that victory victory meant restoring normal lives for Ukrainians and ending the killing. In a broader sense, however, it also means overcoming the global threat that Russia currently poses to the entire world.
“I believe that stopping Putin today and preventing him from occupying Ukraine is a victory for the whole world. Because Putin will not stop at Ukraine,” he said.
He also stressed that Ukraine will regain all temporarily occupied territories, calling it a matter of time. Restoring the 1991 borders, when Ukraine declared independence, would not only be a victory but the only just solution. Achieving this today would come at the cost of many lives. As he put it, “land without people is nothing.”
Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine lacks sufficient weapons. He said that victory depends not only on the Armed Forces of Ukraine but also on international partners.
Ukraine and the US
Referring to tensions with the US president, Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of securing security guarantees from the United States. He said that even if Trump is unreliable, such guarantees would also bind future leaders for the agreed term.
Zelenskyy noted that security guarantees must be provided before he can consider another US demand – holding general elections in Ukraine before summer. This echoes another Russian narrative claiming that Zelenskyy is an illegitimate president. Trump has not demanded elections in Russia, where Putin first became leader on the last day of the 20th century.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian law does not allow elections during wartime. However, if this becomes a condition for ending the war, he would agree.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Steve Witkoff suggested that a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is currently possible.
