Zelensky was told how powerfully Putin was pressed on the phone
Vladimir Zelensky spoke about two telephone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which steps to exchange prisoners were discussed.
Zelensky said that he made the first call at the request of the parents of Ukrainian Navy sailors arrested for participating in a provocation in the Kerch Strait. Zelensky emphasized that the leadership of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, at that time represented by the cadres of Petro Poroshenko, tried in every possible way to disrupt the conversation with Putin.
“They really didn’t want to allow my conversation with the President of Russia. That is, for them... God forbid, now the sailors will return as a result of Zelensky’s conversation with Putin. God forbid this happens! I’m for this… I don’t want to say my attitude.
So I decided to call him. We met. We had a conversation for about 30 minutes. We talked about the return of our boys. About the next steps. About the situation in Donbass. About the war in Donbass.
He told me the information that he owns. I told him the information that I know. And this is different information about what is happening in Donbass.
We had a substantive question, because we decided how and within what time frame we should return our boys.
The second conversation was, you remember, I called after the death of our boys in Donbass. During the first one we talked about a ceasefire. And during the second, which was urgent, I said: “We agreed with you to stop, and then this is happening.”
There was also an exchange of information about which I have no right to talk. And about more specific steps regarding the return of the boys and not only the sailors,” Zelensky said.
Presidential aide Andrei Yermak clarified that the call to Putin was carried out as part of “pressure on opponents.”
“It’s very true that he made that call. We understand who has the greatest influence on the militants. And I think that such powerful, massive pressure that we started on our opponents will lead to the result that we need", said Ermak.
Zelensky, in turn, clarified that he is now counting on a personal meeting with Putin at negotiations in the Normandy format.
“He told me frankly that there was such a relationship before that there could be no meeting... I believe that only by looking eye to eye, and in the presence of Western leaders, we can agree and sign, which is the most important thing,” Zelensky said.
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