The easiest way to end the war is to cede territory to Russia: Zelensky

Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelensky He said on Thursday that ceding the occupied territories to Russia would be the quickest way to put an end to the warbut stressed that this solution would only be temporary since the Kremlin won't stop there

"The easiest way to end the war is to cede territory to Russia. Give him back the influence he had over the years Ukraine and within Ukraine," he said in an interview published by the German weekly Der Spiegel.

The minsk agreementsadopted in 2014 and 2015 to put an end to the conflict in western Ukraine, were a "concession" in that sense, said the president, who acknowledged that he initially got on that "train" even though it was "on the way to the precipice."

However, from the beginning he was aware that implementation was impossible, something he told then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

On the contrary, the real point of the agreements was to allow Russia to “quench its appetite a bit at Ukraine's expense” and defer the issue, something usual in diplomacy, Zelensky mused.

However, the Russian president, Vladimir Putinis “a dragon, which has to keep devouring” and cannot be stopped by offering it pieces of countries to quench its appetite, since “neither borders nor oceans will stop the Russians”.

In this sense, he described as "dirty politics” and “ridiculous” that certain governments publicly support Ukraine but then look for ways to evade sanctions against Russia or are reluctant to send military aid.

Despite the fact that "everyone is afraid of a war" and that it is logical that other countries see the conflict as a threat to their stability and want to end it "for other people", according to the Ukrainian president, ultimately it is necessary to decide.

“The heads of government must understand that yes, the war must end. But they cannot continue swimming between two waters” Zelenski stressed, who thus asked for more forceful support.

“If one day the Russians are on our border, we will have to sacrifice the lives of our people. That is why what Ukraine is doing now is more convenient for our country, ”she warned.