Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a rather damning claim about Vladimir Putin during a recent interview in Paris, France.
The Ukrainian President claimed that ‘it’s a fact’ that the Russian President ‘will die soon’.
Rumours have circulated for a while about the leader’s health as Zelenskyy sat down with reporters following his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday (26 March).
Only last week, reports emerged that Putin may have experienced a ‘mini stroke’.
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And Zelenskyy has said he ‘is afraid’ that ‘everything will end’ when the 72-year-old does die.
The Ukrainian, whose relationship with Donald Trump has been somewhat up-and-down, pleaded with the US to ‘stay strong’ and not cave into demands from Moscow as Russia has said it will only begin observing an agreed ceasefire if sanctions on food and fertiliser trade were removed.
The Trump administration have been reaching out to the Russians in search of a deal to put an end to the war.
“He [Putin] will die soon,” Zelenskyy said. “And that’s a fact, and it will come to an end.”
During last night’s interview, he added that he believes his Russian rival is trying to ‘hit the European Union from within’ in reference to the likes of Hungary which sides with Russia.
Zelenskyy also claimed that Putin ‘fears his own society’ in Russia.
Today (27 March), Macron will welcome European leaders alongside Zelenskyy as they continue to seek ways to help Ukraine in the event of a permanent ceasefire.
“If there was again a generalised aggression against Ukrainian soil, these armies would be under attack and then it’s our usual framework of engagement,” the French President said yesterday.
“Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it.”
The US will not be represented at the talks today with Trump’s administration having shown no public enthusiasm for the coalition’s discussions about potentially sending troops into Ukraine after an eventual ceasefire to help make peace stick.
The US President’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has dismissed the idea of a European deployment or even the need for it.
“It’s a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic,” he said in an interview.
While in Europe, the coalition believes any peace deal will need to be backed up by security guarantees for Ukraine to deter Putin launching another attempt to seize it.
Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Politics, World News
Jess Battison