Zelenskyy: Putin cannot exit this war

In a written statement on his social media account, Zelenskyy evaluated the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine War.

Recalling that Ukraine accepted the "30-day emergency ceasefire" proposal presented by the US at the meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Zelenskyy stated that this could be an important step toward ending the war.

Addressing Putin's remarks yesterday regarding the proposal, Zelenskyy noted that Putin had set certain conditions, stating, "He does not want a ceasefire. He needs the war. This was always clear, and it is clear now."

Arguing that the US should exert pressure on Russia, Zelenskyy assessed, "Putin will not end the war himself, but America's power is sufficient to force him to do so."

Claiming that Russian leader Putin is trying to do "everything in his power to ensure the failure" of diplomacy aimed at ending the war, Zelenskyy said, "Putin cannot exit this war because then he would have nothing left."

Zelenskyy stated that Putin had previously tried to deliberately prolong the negotiation process during the Minsk talks, adding, "Every condition Putin puts forward is merely an effort to block any kind of diplomacy. That is how Russia works."

Emphasizing that they are ready to work effectively and quickly with the US side to achieve a ceasefire, Zelenskyy noted the following:

"We do not want to play war games. Every day of the war is a loss of life for our people, and that is the most valuable thing we have."