Kyiv CNN —
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin – the Russian mercenary leader whose plane crashed weeks after he led a mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership – shows what happens when people do business with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
As Ukraine’s counteroffensive enters its fourth month and has seen only modest successes so far, Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria he rejects suggestions that it is time to negotiate peace with the Kremlin.
“If you want to compromise or have a dialogue with someone, you can’t do it with a liar,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The dramatic death of the Wagner leader, which followed a short-lived uprising that threatened the authority of the Russian president, was a warning that should be heeded, Zelensky said.
While the United States and other key Ukrainian allies continue to supply weapons to Kiev and emphasize that the conditions for a “just and lasting” peace are not yet in place, a handful of world leaders, such as Brazil’s Lula Da Silva, are insisting pointed out It is Ukraine’s responsibility to end the war.
As evidence of his position, Zelensky cited other countries that were attacked by Russian soldiers and remain partially occupied by them.
“Have you seen any compromise from Putin on other issues? With Georgia? With Moldova?” Zelenskyy asked rhetorically.
Reports from the front indicate that Ukraine has made gradual progress in the south despite heavy fighting with Russian troops.
Geolocated videos from Friday showed a wasteland of shell hits, abandoned trenches and destroyed military equipment in the area between Robotyne, Verbove and Novoprokopivka – a triangle of villages that holds the key for Ukrainians to approaching Tokmak, a key Russian defense hub.