Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has highlighted Vladimir Putin’s mortality during a recent interview as he candidly told Jeremy Bowen that the Russian leader will ‘die soon’ amid health fears
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t hold back on his thoughts about his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin, as he bluntly stated that he didn’t think his rival had long left to live. Speaking during a round table with journalists including the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen, the Ukrainian leader was asked what Putin was afraid of.
He replied: “Putin is afraid of his society, the destabilisation of his society. The second thing is to lose his power but it’s also depends on his age. He will die soon, and that’s a fact, and it will come to an end. And it could come to an end, even before he ends his absolutely safe and losing – historically losing – life.”
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy also slammed Russia for its continued aggression, stating that the recent drone attacks on Ukraine are evidence that Russia is not seeking peace. In a post on social media, Zelensky highlighted the intensity of the conflict by reporting that 117 drone strikes had targeted Ukraine overnight, reports the Express.
“Last night, there were another 117 proofs in our skies of how Russia continues to drag out this war – 117 strike drones, most of them Shaheds,” he declared. The President detailed that these strikes included a “massive” attack on his own hometown, Kryvyi Rih, as well as assaults on the regions of Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia.
He interpreted the timing of these attacks as a deliberate message: “Launching such large-scale attacks after ceasefire negotiations is a clear signal to the whole world that Moscow is not going to pursue real peace.”
This development follows the announcement of a Black Sea ceasefire agreed upon by Ukraine and Russia, which came after both nations engaged in separate discussions with US officials in Saudi Arabia recently.
Zelenskyy’s frustration was evident as he shared an image on Twitter, captioning it with: “Last night, there were another 117 proofs in our skies of how Russia continues to drag out this war – 117 strike drones, most of them Shaheds. A significant number were shot down by our air defenders. Dnipro, Sumy, Cherkasy, and other regions came under Russian attack.”
Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation with his own take: “I think Russia wants to see an end to it. But it could be they’re dragging their feet. I’ve done it over the years. You know, I don’t want to sign a contract, I want to sort of stay in the game but maybe I don’t want to do it quite, I’m not sure.”