Zelensky: Putin seeks to escalate so that Trump can’t end war

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine stated this in an address to the nation on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He recalled that on Thursday in Kazakhstan, Putin again “promoted” his missiles – “his readiness to kill and destroy”.

"Putin clearly wants to add thousands more. He has no interest in ending this war. Moreover, Putin wants to prevent others from ending this war. By wagging his ‘oreshnik’ now he is aiming solely to disrupt the efforts of President Trump that are sure to follow his inauguration. Putin wants to escalate the situation now so that President Trump fails to end the war,” Zelensky is convinced.

According to the president, Putin is the only culprit of this war and the only one who believes in war.

“That is why Putin's escalation now is a form of pressure aimed at eventually forcing the President of the United States to accept Russia’s terms. We are aware of all the existing threats,” the president emphasized.

Separately, the head of state called on all Ukrainians to take shelter whenever air raid alerts go off and missile threats are announced.

“This is a firm rule – a rule that does not depend on any statements coming from Russia. Right now, there may be even more attempts by Russia to spread fear and despair in Ukraine. We all need resilience to get through this. And we need unity with all our partners,” he believes.

Zelensky stated that Putin is now doing what he always does: “intimidating, dividing, and trying to break or destabilize each one of us individually”.

"He can do nothing else. He loses when he is isolated. And he must lose now. In everything. And it will be safe for everyone," the President is convinced.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated at the CSTO summit in Astana that "decision-making centers in Kyiv" could become targets of the next strikes involving the Oreshnik experimental ballistic missiles.

Photo: President’s Office