Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj reaches out to both Russia and the West in a new interview.
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To BBC he says, among other things, the following:
- Those who buy oil and gas from Russia pay “blood money”.
- Following the Butsja massacre, Russia will not have many more chances to negotiate with Ukraine.
- Many Ukrainians have “disappeared” from Mariupol – and brought far into Russia.
- Everyone from President Putin and down in the Russian army are “war criminals.”
- “This is not war. It’s genocide.
President Zelenskyj says the Russian atrocities committed in the Mariupol and Kyiv suburbs of Butsja and Borodjanka have limited the scope for peace talks with the Russians.
– Filled with hatred
– It’s not about me, it’s about Russia. They do not get many chances to talk to us, says the President of Ukraine.
He talks about his day in Butsja, where hundreds of civilians killed have been found. Afterwards, he was “just filled with hatred for the Russian military.”
The statement that Russia does not get many chances has also attracted attention in Russia, there Tass has sent a message about this.
The news agency also repeats Zelensky’s repeated request that the West must provide them with additional military support – and that as soon as possible.
– Talk about survival
Zelensky also reiterates his dissatisfaction with Germany, which does not want to stop buying Russian gas and oil. The sale of energy will give Russia several thousand billion kroner in revenue in 2022, according to the BBC. Ukraine’s president wants tougher measures against Russia:
– Some of our friends and partners understand that is different now, that it is no longer a question of business and money. It is a matter of survival, says Zelenskyj to the BBC.
“Disappeared”
The president talks about the port city of Mariupol, which has been laid in ruins by the Russian invasion forces:
– We have information about tens of thousands of dead, but in addition many have disappeared. We know that they have obtained Russian passports and taken far into Russia – some to camps, others to other cities. No one knows what is happening to these people. No one knows how many have been killed.
Zelensky says they were preparing for the war, but that they did not expect a full-scale invasion, as Russia carried out on February 24. Ukraine now expects a strong Russian offensive in the east – after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and supported pro-Moscow separatists in the Donbas.
The President reiterates the need for something to happen quickly:
– USA, Great Britain, some European countries … they try to help and help. But we need it sooner and faster. The key word is now.
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