‘Making a mistake!’ Zelensky launches extraordinary attack on dithering Germany
Zelensky calls on world to show support for Ukraine
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The Ukrainian leader has said Boris Johnson is “helping more” than other leaders in the resistance against Russia thanks to pressure from the British people. In an interview in Kyiv where he is resisting Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Mr Zelensky said France was being more hesitant in sending weapons “because they are afraid of Russia”.
He told the Economist magazine that Germany “are making a mistake today” as it tries to take a balanced approach due to their deeper economic ties with Moscow.
He said: “They [Germany] are trying to be balanced.
“They have a long relationship with Russia and they are looking at the situation through the prism of the economy.
“They help out at times. I think they are trying to adjust to the situation as it develops. They are also looking at how the situation affects their own country.
“They can help, if there is pressure on them domestically to do so, and they can stop when they see what they have done is sufficient.
“I think Germany is more pragmatic than anyone else with regards to the situation among those countries which can really help.
“It’s not always about us, what we need and what the world needs. I think the Germans are making a mistake today.
“I think they make mistakes often. I think the legacy of Germany’s relations with Russia shows this.”
Mr Zelensky’s comments were followed by a late-night video interview on Sunday with independent Russian journalists in which he reiterated earlier statements that signalled he was willing to discuss neutrality with Russia.
The president added that Ukraine could consider offering security guarantees to the Kremlin involving his government agreeing to stay out of NATO.
READ MORE: Kremlin’s move to ban Zelensky interview with Russian TV backfires
Ukraine would also remain nuclear-free, he said.
He told the reporters that the issue of neutrality should be put to Ukrainian voters in a referendum after Russian troops withdraw.
He said a vote could take place within a few months of the troops leaving.
In an earlier interview, the president said “Britain is definitely on our side” and is “not performing a balancing act”, but he declined to say whether the UK wants to end the war quickly at any cost.
When asked if the Prime Minister had been keener than France’s President Emmanuel Macron to send weapons, Mr Zelensky responded: “Yes. To be honest, Johnson is a leader who is helping more.
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“The leaders of countries react according to how their constituents act. In this case, Johnson is an example.”
Mr Johnson has forged a close relationship with the Ukrainian leader, speaking to him regularly by phone.
The Prime Minister said sending the tanks and fighter jets Mr Zelensky pleaded for as he addressed a summit of Nato leaders last week would be very difficult “logistically” but did not rule it out.
But Mr Macron warned providing armoured vehicles and fighter jets could drag Nato into a direct conflict with Russia by crossing a “red line”.
Mr Zelensky put foreign nations into categories, ranging from those who want the conflict to end quickly by any means so they can keep access to Russian markets to those supporting the Ukrainian people who “want the war to end quickly at any cost”.
“Britain is definitely on our side. It is not performing a balancing act. Britain sees no alternative for the way out of the situation,” he said.
“Britain wants Ukraine to win and Russia to lose, but I’m not ready to say whether Britain wants the war to drag on or not.”
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