Zelensky Believes He Can Defeat Russia, Says Polyansky

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his allies are not interested in serious negotiations with Russia; they are still living under the illusion that they can defeat the Russian Federation on the battlefield, said Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“Zelensky and his allies are not interested in substantive serious negotiations. Their entire interest lies in the capitulation of Russia. They still have certain illusions that they can achieve a military victory over Russia through Western weapons,” Polyansky stated.

He noted that Kyiv is interested in the supply of Western arms. “And when they say they are ready to consider other options, it means they do not believe in their victory; I think this is their logic,” the Deputy Permanent Representative added.

“Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Ukrainians are paying with their lives for this illusion. And this is a very sad situation. You know that Zelensky has prohibited negotiating with the Russian government by issuing a relevant decree in 2022. So, the claims that Ukraine is ready for any negotiations are laughable,” Polyansky emphasized.

“On the other hand, Russia has repeatedly stated that we would be ready to discuss how to achieve our goals peacefully through negotiations. And we are still prepared for such negotiations, but it must be an entirely different path and format than what Ukraine is attempting to impose on other countries,” the Deputy Permanent Representative clarified, referring to what is known as the “Zelensky formula” and other attempts to hold summits where Russia would not be represented. According to Polyansky, “this cannot be considered a serious attempt to conduct negotiations.”