Kiev: Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy hasn’t ruled out the unfortunate possibility of a war against neighbouring Russia. However, he feels that constructive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin could avert such an untoward situation.
“I think there can be,” Zelenskiy replied when asked at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) summit on a war with Russia. “It’s the worst thing that could happen, but unfortunately there is that possibility,” he said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
The seven-year tension between the two nations has resulted in the deaths of thousands. The trigger has been the Russian seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move unrecognised by many Western powers. The conflict later percolated to eastern Ukraine which killed 14,000 people since 2014.
“All-out war would be the biggest blunder on Russia’s part,” the Ukrainian president was quoted by the Independent online newspaper. “It’s a spooky scenario but unfortunately it isn’t unlikely. The danger is reaching a point of no return,” he added.
As per reports, Russia blames Ukraine for being indifferent to talks. But Zelenskiy refutes such accusations “Honestly, I don’t have time to think about him (Putin),” Zelenskiy said adding, “I’m more interested in whether we can really meet substantively, not declaratively as he does with some states.”
