Table of Contents
In a raw, three-hour conversation, Ukraine's President reveals his true thoughts on ending the war, why Putin can't be trusted, and what security guarantees Ukraine actually needs.
Key Takeaways
- Zelenskyy believes Putin fundamentally doesn't want to end the war and will only stop when pressured, not persuaded
- Ukraine needs NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees before any ceasefire to prevent Putin's return
- The president sees Trump as potentially the only leader with enough power to force Putin to stop the aggression
- Despite accusations, Zelensky insists Ukraine received mostly weapons, not cash, and has cracked down hard on corruption
- Language choice during wartime carries deep symbolic meaning - Ukrainian represents freedom, Russian represents the aggressor
- Ukraine's digital transformation and natural resources position it well for post-war economic recovery
- Over 780,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, showing the massive human cost of Putin's ambitions
- Zelenskyy remains undecided about running for re-election, saying it depends on how the war ends and what people want
- The president draws parallels between Putin's invasion and Hitler's rise, warning that appeasement only enables further aggression
The Ceasefire Trap: Why Zelenskyy Says Peace Without Strength Is Meaningless
Here's something most people don't understand about Ukraine's position on peace talks. Zelenskyy isn't some warmonger refusing to negotiate - he's actually tried ceasefires before, and they failed spectacularly.
Back in December 2019, the Ukrainian president sat down with Putin, Macron, and Merkel in Paris. They hammered out what seemed like a solid agreement: prisoner exchanges, gas transit continuation, and most importantly, a ceasefire. Zelenskyy had done his homework - he knew exactly how long troop withdrawals would take, had mapped out every detail of the contact line. Putin? Not so much.
- The gas contract got signed because Putin needed the money
- Prisoner exchanges happened as Ukraine took the first humanitarian step
- But the ceasefire lasted about a month before Russian forces started killing Ukrainians again
- When Zelenskyy called Putin to complain, the Russian leader made excuses and eventually stopped taking his calls entirely
- Russian snipers used Ukrainian civilians as "living targets" for training, later deployed to Syria and Africa
"Do you honestly think anyone could steal weapons by the truckload when we ourselves don't have enough on the front lines?" Zelenskyy asks, addressing corruption accusations. The frustration is palpable when he describes having to provide proof against disinformation while fighting for his country's survival.
The president's experience taught him something crucial: Putin doesn't negotiate in good faith. He uses ceasefires to regroup and plan the next attack. That's why Zelenskyy insists any future peace agreement must include ironclad security guarantees - preferably NATO membership for the territory Ukraine controls.
Putin Doesn't Love Russia - He Loves Power
When pressed about whether Putin genuinely loves his country, Zelenskyy's response cuts through the usual diplomatic niceties. The Ukrainian president sees something most Western observers miss: Putin's actions reveal a man who sacrifices his own people for personal ambition.
"You cannot send your people to another land to die, knowing that they will die," Zelenskyy explains. "The boys he sends are 18 years old. They are children." The math is staggering - 788,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine alone, not counting previous conflicts in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and elsewhere.
- Putin has sent young Russians to die in multiple foreign conflicts throughout his reign
- The Chechen wars eliminated around a million people of a different ethnicity and faith
- In Ukraine, Russian forces are using North Korean soldiers as cannon fodder, with 3,800 already killed or wounded
- Russian territory is vast - larger than America - yet Putin still craves more land and control
Zelenskyy draws a sharp contrast with leaders who actually care about their people. When natural disasters strike America, he notes, Trump shows up within days. But Putin never visited the Kursk region during four months of Ukrainian operations there. The pattern reveals itself: real leaders go where their people suffer, while autocrats stay safely isolated.
The Ukrainian president reserves particular contempt for Putin's "bare-assed" historical lectures, comparing them unfavorably to Elon Musk's discussions of rockets and Mars exploration. Where innovative leaders talk technology and progress, Putin pontificates about tribal history while sending children to die.
Trump's Unique Position: Fear as a Peace Tool
Zelenskyy sees something in Trump that he didn't find in the Biden administration: genuine leverage over Putin. Not through friendship or understanding, but through fear.
"Putin is afraid of him. That's a fact," the Ukrainian president states matter-of-factly. But he's also realistic about the challenges. Trump has a four-year term, not Putin's effective lifetime appointment. What happens if they achieve a ceasefire but Putin attacks again after Trump leaves office?
- Trump would look weak if Putin breaks a ceasefire he negotiated
- Ukraine would be destroyed, Europe destabilized
- Putin understands this dynamic and wants to pit Zelenskyy against Trump
- The Russian leader's ultimate goal is outlasting American presidents to achieve his territorial ambitions
Zelenskyy's proposed solution centers on making Ukraine genuinely strong before any negotiations. Partial NATO membership for controlled territories, continued weapons packages, and maintained sanctions on Russia. "Don't rely on his will, Putin's will to stop," he warns. "You won't see it."
The president believes Trump has the power to pressure Putin into ending the war, but only if Ukraine enters negotiations from a position of strength. Weakness invites further aggression - something Zelenskyy learned the hard way in his previous dealings with the Kremlin.
The Language War: Why Words Matter as Much as Weapons
The conversation itself becomes a fascinating study in how language carries political weight during wartime. Zelenskyy speaks Russian fluently - it was his primary language for most of his life. But he insists on conducting the interview primarily in Ukrainian, with occasional exceptions.
"The people who attack us speak Russian," he explains. "They attack people who were only recently told that this was actually in defense of Russian-speaking people." The bitter irony isn't lost on him - Putin claimed to protect Russian speakers while bombing Russian-speaking cities in eastern Ukraine.
- At the war's beginning, Zelenskyy addressed Russians in Russian - it had zero effect
- Ukrainian language has become a symbol of resistance and independence
- Many Ukrainian soldiers would "kill such people with their own hands" if they found weapons thieves
- The choice of language in international forums sends signals about national identity and sovereignty
This linguistic complexity reflects deeper questions about identity and belonging that Putin exploits. By claiming Russian speakers everywhere belong to his sphere of influence, the Kremlin justifies aggression against sovereign nations. Zelenskyy's language choices push back against this narrative while acknowledging the practical reality of communication.
Corruption Accusations: Following the Money Trail
Here's where Zelenskyy gets genuinely fired up. The corruption narrative around Ukraine aid drives him crazy, partly because he says it's mostly wrong, and partly because it ignores where the real problems lie.
"In most cases, we did not receive money, we received weapons," he clarifies. Of the $177 billion in aid packages, Ukraine hasn't received half the money. Much of what looks like "aid to Ukraine" actually goes to American defense contractors and logistics companies.
- Ukraine asked to use their own cargo jets for weapons transport but were denied
- American companies got paid instead for more expensive transport services
- This isn't Ukrainian corruption - it's how the American defense industrial complex works
- The president calls it "lobbyism" rather than outright corruption, but questions the ethics
Zelenskyy points to concrete anti-corruption achievements that often get overlooked. Ihor Kolomoisky, Ukraine's most powerful oligarch, sits in prison. Russian oligarchs faced sanctions or fled. The country built Europe's most sophisticated anti-corruption system as an EU membership requirement.
The president's frustration is understandable. While fighting an existential war, Ukraine must constantly prove it's not stealing weapons its soldiers desperately need. Meanwhile, the real financial inefficiencies happen in the contracting process that Ukrainian officials don't even control.
Digital Future: Ukraine's Post-War Economic Vision
Despite the immediate crisis, Zelenskyy maintains a clear vision for Ukraine's future prosperity. Digital transformation sits at the center of his plans, building on systems already in place.
Ukraine's "Diia" digital services platform already leads Europe in government digitization. African countries have requested the same system for their own use - a potential revenue source after the war. The president sees this as both an economic opportunity and a corruption prevention tool.
- Digital services eliminate personal connections with government officials
- Everything happens through phones or devices, reducing bribery opportunities
- European countries recognize Ukraine as the digitization leader
- Post-war export of these systems could generate significant revenue
Beyond technology, Ukraine sits on substantial natural resources that could attract American investment. Oil and gas reserves in the Black Sea, the largest uranium deposits in Europe, significant gold reserves. "Russia has pushed France out of Africa. They urgently need uranium, which we have," Zelenskyy notes.
The president explicitly welcomes American business partnerships rather than pure aid. Using frozen Russian assets to buy American weapons and equipment would boost U.S. industry while strengthening Ukrainian defense - a win-win scenario that could continue post-war reconstruction efforts.
The Human Cost: Why Forgiveness Requires Justice
Perhaps the most powerful moment in the conversation comes when Zelenskyy discusses forgiveness. He doesn't dismiss the possibility entirely, but insists it must follow a specific historical pattern.
"Russia will have to apologize. It will," he states with certainty. "This will happen because they are guilty." He points to Germany's post-war example - generations of education, reparations, security guarantees, and consistent acknowledgment of guilt.
- History shows reconciliation is possible after devastating wars
- But it requires the aggressor to admit guilt and pay reparations
- Security guarantees must prevent future aggression
- Silent complicity equals participation in war crimes
The president gets emotional when discussing parents who lost children. Would you ask who killed your child before seeking revenge? "You will go, fucking hell, and bite their head off! And it will be fair." This isn't diplomatic language - it's raw human emotion about unimaginable loss.
Zelenskyy worries about vigilante justice if there's no official accountability. Thousands of Ukrainians have lost family members. Without proper trials and punishment for war criminals, some will inevitably seek personal revenge in Russia. NATO membership wouldn't just protect Ukraine from Russian aggression - it would protect Russia from Ukrainian retaliation.
Elections will happen immediately after the war ends, probably within 90 days of martial law lifting. Whether Zelenskyy runs again depends on factors he hasn't had time to consider: how the war concludes, what people want, and what his family thinks. "This is war. How to think about what will be after? It's very difficult."
The conversation reveals a leader carrying the weight of an entire nation's survival. Zelenskyy's decisions affect millions of lives, both Ukrainian and Russian. His mix of pragmatism and emotion, strategic thinking and human feeling, shows why this war's outcome matters far beyond Ukraine's borders. The choices made in the coming months will shape European security for generations.
