Zelenskyy: Ukrainian intelligence data on Russia's further preparations for military action, Putin doesn't want peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin will not stop unless he is stopped, as he continues to build up Russia's military potential in order to go further, perhaps to Poland or Lithuania.
"Since today the world is slowly stopping Putin, slowly, too slowly, he will come. And this is a fact. I recently gave an example. I just received this from the Security Service, from my two intelligence services. I always take from several sources, then look, analyze and can share information when I see a large number of coincidences," he said in an interview with The Economist.
Zelenskyy said there is a lot of information indicating that Russia is not going to stop. "Putin, about whom someone says, "that he may even want peace" in the world, in Europe, in America. Look, he does not want to end or stop anything. He does not want peace. The question of "forcing" - we will talk about this. He does not want it," Zelenskyy said and gave examples.
According to him, in 2024, an additional 140,000 military personnel were formed in Russia. "He [Putin] does not want to end the war. In addition to these 140,000, he is preparing 150,000 in 2025. Another 150,000. More than ten divisions, I don't remember exactly, 12-15 divisions will be formed by Putin. This is a fact."
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine has "all the documents that he is forming this." "Moreover, his goal is to send them all for military training, military exercises in Belarus," Zelenskyy said.
"As for all the documents, everything coincides with the fact that he will send them. This is no different from what happened in Ukraine on the eve [of a full-scale war]," the President of Ukraine said.
"This is preparing a springboard for offensive actions," Zelenskyy said.
"The question is that no one in America is thinking about this yet. Well, they think, okay, the Ukrainian president is raising the stakes, wants to say that there may be an offensive. Okay, there has already been an offensive on Ukraine. First of all, he [Putin] will do it with a large number of troops. Secondly, who told you that he will go to Ukraine? Who told you that he will not go to Lithuania? To Poland?" Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy suggested that Putin's offensive could happen much earlier than the West expects: "Maybe, while we are still standing, he is preparing a bridgehead for a large number of troops and simply takes this bridgehead and goes in another direction. He goes to Poland, goes to Lithuania and occupies them. Why does no one think that this will happen?"