Speaking to participants at the Davos Economic Forum on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that does not fully understand who is now making decisions in the Kremlin and whether President Vladimir Putin is still alivereports the Russian service of the BBC.
The Ukrainian leader referred to Vladimir Putin’s recent television appearances, which experts say were recorded separately from the background superimposed on the video later. That was especially the case his New Year’s greeting, in the background of which was a group of people in military uniforms of the Russian army. Zelensky said that Putin appears on the screens on a so-called “green screen” – a solid background on which any image can later be superimposed in a video editor – and it is unclear whether he is even alive.
“I don’t understand who and what to talk about. I’m not sure that the president of Russia, who sometimes appears – TV viewers will understand – on the “green screen”, I don’t quite understand what he is. I don’t quite understand whether he’s alive. No I know who makes the decisions, what circle of people. When we say “peace talks”, I don’t really understand with whom. Russia needs to find someone and then offer something,” Zelensky said in Davos
Speaking via video link to the participants of the so-called “Ukrainian Breakfast” in Davos, Zelensky also said that Putin will go down in history as the man who dug the huge gap between the peoples of Russia and Ukraine.
“No one is saying that they can return the relationship, but they can save the lives of their people. This is their future. The gulf between us is deep, but they have dug it. Putin is standing with a shovel. And it will remain with this shovel in history“, Zelensky said
The press secretary of the Russian leader, Dmitry Peskov, was quick to respond and stated that for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the rulers in Kyiv, the existence of Russia and President Vladimir Putin is a problem and for them it would be preferable if they did not exist.
“It is clear that both Russia and Putin are both for today’s Ukraine and for Zelensky a big problem. It is clear that purely psychologically, Mr. Zelensky would prefer neither Russia nor Putin to exist” Peskov said in response to the Ukrainian leader’s statements in Davos.
At the same time, Peskov stressed that the sooner Kyiv shows readiness to consider Moscow’s demands, the sooner the conflict in Ukraine will end.
