Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin “is not afraid of Europeans” and warned that in the event of Ukraine's defeat, the war will spread to the countries of the European Union.
Zelensky said this in an interview with the French TV channel France 2.
“Putin is not afraid of the Europeans. They are our partners, they have helped us a lot, but he is not afraid of them. Why? Because Europeans live in a wonderful, safe world that they themselves built. Life in Europe is great, pleasant. Europeans can't believe that this could happen in their own country,” the Ukrainian president said.
According to Zelensky, Putin is only afraid of US President Donald Trump, because he has leverage through weapons and the economy.
Zelensky noted that if Ukraine does not stop Putin, he will invade Europe. According to him, Ukraine's neighboring countries understand that in this case they will be the first victims of his attack. Russian drones and missiles are capable of striking anywhere, the president added.
The president also said that European “pure democracy” is unable to defeat Putin, who does not follow any rules of war. Countries that are aware of the threat are helping Ukraine, while others are trying to shield themselves from reality, he added.
Also in this interview, Zelensky said that Ukraine's confirmed losses in the war with Russia are 55,000 dead. At the same time, he said, there are still a significant number of people who the state considers missing. He said that to capture eastern Ukraine, Russia would have to lose 800,000 soldiers and at least two years of very slow progress.