Zelensky: Russia May Want This War to Last Longer Than WWII

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday warned that Russia may seek to prolong its war against Ukraine indefinitely, drawing parallels between President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions and those that fueled the world’s deadliest conflicts.

In a statement marking June 22, the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Zelensky said the date should serve as a reminder of the catastrophic consequences of imperial aggression.

Zelensky compares Putin to past aggressors

Zelensky said World War II should have taught humanity that human life must be valued above imperial ambitions and territorial conquest.

“Putin is guided by exactly the same things as previous aggressors,” Zelensky said. “He despises human life and dreams of some inadequate and unnecessary empire.”

The Ukrainian president argued that Russia began the day not by honoring the victims of World War II but by launching new attacks against Ukrainian civilians.

According to Zelensky, Russian strikes overnight killed civilians in the Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions and hit the Odesa, Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions.

“Russia may want this war to last longer than WWII”

Zelensky noted that Russia’s full-scale invasion has already exceeded the duration of World War I.

“This full-scale war has already lasted longer than World War I,” he said.

“Perhaps Russia wants to wait until this war lasts even longer than World War II. But the world certainly does not want that, and it can prevent it.”

Other Topics of Interest

Russia’s Domestic Fuel Strain Reaches Small Aviation Sector

Industry groups say the problem is especially severe for aviation gasoline, which is becoming harder to find at airports and increasingly expensive where it is available.

The president called for stronger international pressure on Moscow, saying Ukraine had already put forward all necessary diplomatic proposals.

“We must bring Russia to a point where it has no option other than diplomacy and ending the war,” Zelensky said.

He added that only sustained pressure on the Kremlin could secure a lasting peace and reliable guarantees for the protection of human life.