Zelensky to BBC: Putin started World War III, and our success will be to stop it

(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to send a strong message of defiance, writes journalist Jeremy Bowen who spoke with the Ukrainian president for the BBC.

They spoke in the government building in Kyiv, and according to Bowen, Zelensky firmly rejects the price of a truce demanded by Russian President Vladimir Putin: withdrawal from key strategic positions that Russia failed to capture despite tens of thousands of soldiers killed. He intends to end the war with a victory.

Zelensky stated that World War III has already begun, and the only response is strong military and economic pressure that will force him to retreat.

"The question is how much territory he will manage to capture and how to stop him… Russia wants to impose a different way of life on the world and change the lives that people have chosen for themselves," Zelensky claims.

Zelensky also finds the cession of Ukrainian territory unacceptable because such a "retreat" would divide Ukrainian society. He claims that even that would not be enough for Putin, who would demand more.

Western diplomats have been suggesting since last summer that Trump shares Putin's view that territorial concessions from Ukraine are the key to a truce he wants to achieve – ideally before summer. Many analysts outside the White House also believe that Ukraine cannot win and that, without concessions to Moscow, it will lose the war. Are they right?

- Where are you now? Today you are in Kyiv, in the capital of our homeland, in Ukraine. I am grateful to you for that. Will we lose? Of course not, because we are fighting for Ukraine's independence.

Zelensky often says that Ukraine can win. But what does victory look like?

Victory, he says, means the return of normal life and the cessation of killing. But in a broader sense, it is a global threat that, in his belief, Putin represents. Stopping Putin today and preventing him from occupying Ukraine – that is a victory for the entire world. Because Putin will not stop at Ukraine.

Is victory also the return of every inch of territory?

- We will regain the territory. That is completely clear. It is only a matter of time. Doing it today would mean losing a huge number of people – millions – because the Russian army is large, and we know the price of such moves. We would not have enough people. And what is a country without people? Honestly – nothing.

- Besides, we don't have enough weapons. This does not depend on us alone, but also on our partners. Currently, it is not possible, but returning to the just borders of 1991 – without any doubt – is not only a victory but also justice. Ukraine's victory is the preservation of our independence, and the victory of justice for the whole world is the return of all our territories.

Last year, Zelensky experienced what Bowen claims was a pre-arranged public "diplomatic attack" by Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House. Their discussion in front of the world media circled the globe.

Trump, newly re-inaugurated, made it clear that the era of support that Zelensky had under Joe Biden was over.

Since then, Zelensky, according to available information, has avoided public confrontations with Trump. The US has almost completely stopped military aid deliveries, but continues to provide crucial intelligence. European countries are allocating billions to purchase American weapons which they then send to Ukraine.

Bowen mentioned Trump's often contradictory statements to Zelensky, including the accusation that Zelensky is a dictator who started the war – which is almost a copy of Putin's rhetoric.

Zelensky laughed.

- I am not a dictator, and I did not start the war. That's all.

Can you trust President Trump, and if Ukraine receives security guarantees from him, will he honor them?

- We are not just talking about President Trump, but about America. We are all presidents for a certain term. We want guarantees for 30 years, for example. Political elites will change, leaders will change.

He believes that security guarantees must pass Congress.

- That's why they are voted on in Congress. It's not just presidents that matter. Institutions remain. In other words – Trump may be unpredictable, but he is not eternal.

Zelensky says that without security guarantees, he cannot consider another American request – holding general elections by summer.

Elections were supposed to be held in 2024 but were postponed due to the state of emergency declared after the Russian invasion. They are technically possible, he says, but security guarantees are needed first.

- If that is a condition for ending the war – let's do it. I told the partners: you have to decide – do you want to get rid of me, or do you want elections? If you want elections, then hold them fairly, so that the Ukrainian people recognize them. And so that you also recognize them as legitimate.

Zelensky has opponents and sharp critics in Ukraine. The government was shaken last autumn by a new corruption scandal. Nevertheless, his popularity remains high. The latest request on his list is permission to produce American weapons under license, including Patriot missiles.

- Today, the key issue is air defense. That is the most difficult problem. Our partners, unfortunately, still do not give us licenses to produce systems, for example, Patriots, or at least missiles for the systems we already have. We have not succeeded in this so far.

Should the world prepare for an even longer war in Ukraine?

- No, no, no. These are parallel paths… we are playing chess with many leaders, not just with Russia. There is no single correct solution. You have to make multiple parallel moves. One of them, I believe, will bring success. And for us, success is – stopping Putin.

But Putin won't end the war, will he, unless he's under massive pressure?

- Yes and no. We'll see. He doesn't want to, but him not wanting to doesn't mean he won't. God help us. We will be successful. Thank you.