Zelenskyy explains why initiating a temporary truce during the Olympics is risky and why Putin is not interested in a dialog

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed skepticism about the idea of introducing a ceasefire at the front during the Olympics. According to the head of state, this is not effective in a fight with the Russian enemy, and the occupiers can use the ceasefire to drive tanks closer to the positions of the Defense Forces and then launch another offensive.

Zelenskyy made the statement on May 17 while talking to journalists. In particular, he recalled that a ceasefire on the battlefield in Ukraine had already been introduced before the full-scale invasion.

"We already had a ceasefire. But it does not work well with this enemy. In addition, there is a risk: who can be sure that during the ceasefire their forces will not approach us? The ceasefire doesn't prevent their equipment from moving closer and then launching an offensive. So I don't understand the details. For now, it sounds like a lifeless story to me," the president said.

The Ukrainian leader also spoke about how much longer the war could last. In particular, he noted that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is currently not interested in a dialogue on ending the war.

"Putin does not benefit from a dialog with the whole world because even China will tell him: argue the seizure of territories. Because China stands for the territorial integrity of any state," he said.

Zelenskyy added that today there should be grounds for Putin to look for a way out of the situation as the Kremlin leader is not feeling uncomfortable now.

"Because where are we shooting at? What can we attack? What can we attack with? How much will they help us economically? Will we impose sanctions or not? Will there be a tribunal or not? We need to answer each of these questions. And work and move forward in each of these areas every day," the President of Ukraine said.

As a reminder, during the year of the ceasefire in 2020-2021, according to the Ukrainian delegation of the Territorial Centres of Recruitment and Social Support, 45 Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 163 wounded in Donbas. A total of 1995 Russian attacks were recorded.