President: There can be no mediation with Putin, he is murderer

Volodymyr Zelensky emphasizes that the establishment of a just peace in Ukraine needs an action plan to be developed but without Russia’s participation.

"We do not need mediators between Ukraine and the aggressor which seized our territories. We should develop an action plan for peace, a just peace in Ukraine," Zelensky told the Italian mass media in an interview which was broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the President’s Office, Ukrinform reports.

He said that Ukraine also invites the Pope to participate in drafting the plan.

Zelensky said that Ukraine already knows the consequences of "mediation" with Putin in the Normandy format, when the technical level took place on the Minsk platform and when at the same time the Russians in the temporarily occupied territories issued passports to local residents, banned the Ukrainian language, education, and the Ukrainian church.

"There can be no mediation with Putin – he is a murderer," the President emphasized.

When asked about his readiness to talk with the head of the aggressor state, Zelensky said: "No, there is nothing to talk about."

At the same time, the President of Ukraine expressed his belief that Russia has become weaker and Putin may "take some diplomatic step", but the aggressor will again "come massively to kill us" in a year.

"There is definitely a way out. We will go on the counteroffensive and we will push [the Russian Federation] back, it will definitely happen. Support for him [Putin] in society will decrease, he will have internal issues and he will solve them, find certain steps, I am sure of that. Our motivation will only increase. In parallel, we will organize a summit on our Peace Formula, involve the biggest possible number of people, experts and countries, and draft a plan clear for implementation. Some of the points will be implemented without the representatives of Russia, and some representatives will be needed later," Zelensky said.

He also expressed his belief that when Ukraine enters the administrative borders of Crimea, Putin's support inside Russia will decline and "his inner circle, business will put pressure on him to find a way out. And they will have to find it."

"There is little time left," Zelensky added.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Italy on May 13.

Photo: President’s Office