Ukraine war: Zelensky says no ceasefire unless Russia withdraws troops, Ukraine ‘forgotten’ since Israel-Gaza war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview that his country will not agree to a ceasefire unless Russia withdraws its troops, while expressing concerns about international attention becoming “unfocused” on the situation in Ukraine amid the Middle East conflict.

“There will be an understanding of peace and security in the future only if Russian troops are not on our territory,” the president said on Tuesday while talking with Asian media outlets at his office in Kyiv.

He also said he is looking forward to a conference to be held in Tokyo in February on the reconstruction of Ukraine, pinning hopes on bilateral cooperation in digitalisation, green energy and infrastructure.

Zelensky said the ceasefire with Russian troops remaining in Ukraine would only mean a “frozen” conflict, giving Moscow time to prepare for restarting hostilities.

“We are fighting for what is ours because we do not believe that Russia wants peace,” he said.

While criticising ceasefire discussions recently proposed by the West as equivalent to saying, “Please rip off your hands and give them to another person,” Zelensky instead called for support for his 10-point peace formula to end the war that includes the immediate withdrawal of all Russian forces.

The Ukrainian president said he envisions a fourth meeting on the plan to be held in Switzerland in January, after which discussions will be held at the leaders’ level to draft a “ready-made document” in around six months.

Calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “voracious” and “constantly hungry,” Zelensky warned that other countries would be next if Ukraine is destroyed.

“[Putin] has an ambitious and sick goal – to bring everything back to Soviet times,” he said.

Meanwhile, a shift in international attention to the war between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel in Gaza has played into Russia’s hands, according to Zelensky.

“Everyone understands that they have forgotten about Ukraine and switched to the situation in the Middle East,” he said. “I believe that this is exactly what the Russian Federation was trying to achieve, and I am sorry to say that they have achieved the result they wanted.”

Regarding the coming reconstruction conference, Zelensky expressed expectations that Japan would present “some very specific projects” to rebuild his country.