Volodymyr Zelenskyy
About
President of Ukraine
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Claims by Volodymyr Zelenskyy (20 of 40)
Kyiv airport stays closed because people matter more than planes
The Kyiv airport cannot reopen until there is sustainable peace and long-lasting effective air defense, because diverting air defense systems from shelled cities to protect an airport would be dishonest since people are more important than planes.
Zelenskyy asked US for sanctions and weapons before invasion
Before the invasion, Zelenskyy asked the United States primarily for preventive measures—sanctions and weapons to deter Putin—rather than promises of sanctions only after an invasion, but received mostly words rather than help, which he considers a failure of deterrence.
Russian banned in Ukraine is false
The claim that Russian is banned in Ukraine is not true; people in Ukraine speak Russian and Zelenskyy himself speaks it, but Russian is now disrespected because of Russians' actions, specifically that in claiming to save Russian speakers they killed Russian speakers and destroyed their homes in the East.
WWII did not begin in 1939 or 1941
World War II cannot be understood as starting in 1939 or 1941; it grew from earlier weaknesses of the world, the division of European states, and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and from the world looking the other way and believing it could negotiate with Hitler, who would not stop until forced.
Ukraine received weapons not money from allies
In most cases Ukraine did not receive money but weapons, and where there were risks of misappropriation of weapons, Ukraine cracked down hard on offenders; the narrative that Ukraine was selling weapons was pushed by Russia as disinformation.
Ukraine and Russia are different nations, not one people
Ukraine and Russia are not one nation, one people, or the same country; they are different countries, and Putin's claim that 'we are one people, we speak one language' is a pretext used to justify the invasion in supposed defense of Russian-speakers, even as Russia killed Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
President must stop being a father during war
At the moment of invasion Zelenskyy had to stop being a father in his own family because his country is his family; he delegated all child and safety matters to his wife so he could deal with the state as president, since his duty is to the country.
Lukashenko apologized for missiles launched from Belarus
A few days into the war, Lukashenko called Zelenskyy and apologized, saying the missiles launched from Belarusian territory were Putin's doing and not his, telling Zelenskyy 'I am not in charge,' and even suggested Ukraine retaliate against the Mozyr Oil Refinery.
Putin is deaf and cannot be negotiated with like a technologist
Putin is figuratively deaf by nature and unlike an innovator such as Musk who launches rockets to save money and reach Mars, Putin launches rockets to kill people; therefore one cannot reason with him about technology or progress, and interviews with him produce tribal history rather than substantive engagement.
Ceasefire without security guarantees gives Putin a pass
If a ceasefire happens without serious security guarantees for Ukraine, Putin will launch a new wave of attacks within months, because his plan is to end Ukraine's independence; a ceasefire deal without guarantees would give Putin an opportunity and make Trump and Ukraine look weak.
2019 Normandy ceasefire was violated within a month
In December 2019 at the Elysee Palace, Macron, Merkel, Putin and Zelenskyy agreed on a ceasefire, an all-for-all prisoner exchange, and gas transit continuation; the gas deal was honored because Putin needed the money and the exchange's first step happened, but Russia resumed killing within about a month, proving Putin's ceasefire commitments are not honored.
NATO invitation issued to all of Ukraine's territory
A NATO invitation would be legislatively issued to Ukraine as a whole including occupied territories, but NATO could initially act only in the part under Ukrainian control; this partial-membership path, while not a great success, is one diplomatic way to end the war.
NATO works because no NATO country has been at war on its soil
NATO works as evidenced by the fact that countries in NATO do not fight and there is no war on the land of any NATO country; if the United States leaves NATO it would be the death of the alliance, because without the powerful US there can be no effective security guarantees.
Remove Russian energy from market to fund less war
It is in the interest of all smart people to remove Russian energy from the global market; replacing it with American oil and gas would be cheaper for the world, send money to the United States, and deprive Putin of revenue for the war.
Putin's lack of preparation in negotiation revealed lack of intent
During the 2019 ceasefire negotiation Zelenskyy was deeply prepared on details like the length of the line of contact while Putin was not involved in the process; this confused Zelenskyy until he concluded that if a leader is not deeply involved in an issue, it signals they do not actually want the result.
Budapest Memorandum guarantees failed Ukraine
Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security guarantees from the US, Russia, and Britain (with France and China joining); these proved not to be real security guarantees, leaving a nuclear power free to attack a disarmed Ukraine, which is why hard guarantees are now essential.
US absence as guarantor doomed Minsk and Normandy formats
In the Minsk agreements and Normandy Format, the United States was not a guarantor or signatory, which Zelenskyy frames as a weakness; in contrast, in 2008 at Bucharest the US under Bush favored Ukrainian NATO membership but Merkel blocked the invitation, demonstrating that US engagement determines outcomes.
Autocracies expend human lives differently than democracies
Autocracies like North Korea can throw masses of people into war without counting casualties—12,000 sent, 3,800 killed or wounded, faces burned to avoid recognition—because they have order and autocracy, whereas democratic Europe counts its people and shares values that prevent it from mobilizing 2-3 million, giving autocracies a manpower advantage.
Putin's two-step plan: weak NATO and weak Ukraine
Putin wants two things—a weak NATO (achieved by the US leaving) and a weak Ukraine that cannot survive on the battlefield and cannot build a strong relationship with Trump—because these two steps together would enable a large-scale war across former Soviet-era Europe to bring it all back under Russian control.
Martial law inherently restricts rights and freedoms
Martial law is not introduced by choice but mandated by legislation when armed aggression violates the border; war itself restricts opportunities and therefore rights and freedoms, which cannot be avoided, though Ukraine tries to balance this by keeping the business sector working and pursuing reforms required for EU candidacy.
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