Zelensky says he cannot trust Putin, insists Ukrainian people will decide peace

Volodymyr Zelensky has said he cannot trust Vladimir Putin, describing the Russian leader as an enemy responsible for the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians and the large-scale occupation of his country, AzerNEWS reports.

“We are enemies. I cannot trust the person who killed so many people in Ukraine and started a large-scale occupation of my nation,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools and residential areas. “He is attacking all our civilian population, our infrastructure, our people, our schools,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine’s response has focused on military targets rather than civilians. “Everyone knows that.”

Zelensky said mutual understanding between the two leaders does not translate into trust. “I think he understands who I am, and I understand who he is. That is why I will not trust him,” he stated.

He stressed that the key issue is not personal trust but how the war will end, acknowledging that negotiations over territory remain deeply uncertain. “It is not about trust. It is about deciding how the war will end. I am not sure that our teams can really decide on the issue of land,” Zelensky said.

According to the president, any final decision on a peace agreement would rest with the Ukrainian people. “In the end, whether to accept a peace treaty or not depends on our people themselves. No one in the world has such a decision,” he said.

Zelensky emphasized that the outcome would not be dictated by powerful states or individual leaders. “It does not depend on a strong country or a strong leader. No, it depends on the Ukrainian people,” he concluded.