Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin risks losing the trust of Russian people if he orders a large-scale mobilization, and may feel compelled to launch a wider war in Europe to claim some kind of success.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday, Zelensky said Putin has already sold “everything he could” to the Russian public regarding the war in Ukraine:
He is selling the lie that he’s capable of achieving results in this war. But where are his quick victories? … The risk now is real that Putin could drag the world into a world war.
The Ukrainian leader also argued that Putin fears a ceasefire, since once it is signed, “it will be difficult for him to return to the war.” However, Zelensky added that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in pushing both sides toward negotiations:
President Trump wants us to sit at the negotiating table, and we support that approach. I believe he truly wants a ceasefire and an end to the war–that’s been his goal from the beginning.
While Moscow sources claim that White House peace initiatives are losing momentum, a bullish Trump informed reporters at his own during a press conference
We’ve solved seven wars and now we are close to resolving an eighth. I believe we can settle the situation with Russia.
