Zelenskyy: Ukraine will not repeat “2014 mistake”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will not repeat the “mistake of 2014” and will not cede territory to Russia without a fight, in an interview with Politico.

According to Zelenskyy, Kyiv’s actions at the start of 2014 were “a big mistake at the very beginning.” He emphasised that only pressure and strength—not symbolic gestures—can stop Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“You can't stop […] Putin with your kisses or with something like flowers. My suggestion to everybody is not to do it with Putin; otherwise, it will be the first step. Then, in five years, he will renovate his military and increase the number of well-trained soldiers in his army,” Zelenskyy warned.

By Vugar Khalilov