Zelenskyy warns World War III has begun as Ukraine marks four years of Russian invasion
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a stark warning to the international community, stating that Vladimir Putin has already initiated a third world war.
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that the only viable response is intense military and economic pressure to force a Russian retreat. "The question is how much territory he will manage to occupy and how we can stop him," Zelenskyy said from a high-security government building in central Kyiv.
The cost of compromise
Zelenskyy remains firm against ceding the 20% of Ukrainian territory currently under Russian control, including parts of Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. He argued that such a compromise would be a betrayal of the hundreds of thousands of people living under occupation.
"I see it as an abandonment—a weakening of our positions," he explained. He warned that any pause in fighting would only allow Putin to recover within two to five years before striking again.
A definition of global victory
For the Ukrainian President, victory transcends mere territorial recovery; it is a matter of global justice. He defined success as a return to the internationally recognized 1991 borders and the restoration of normal life for his citizens.
"Stopping Putin today and preventing the occupation of Ukraine is a victory for the entire world," Zelenskyy noted, adding that "territory is meaningless without the people to inhabit it."
Pressure from Washington and Geneva
The statements come amid mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently suggested that Ukraine must "quickly come to the negotiating table." Western diplomats indicate that Trump may favor territorial concessions to secure an immediate ceasefire.
Zelenskyy rejected this logic, insisting that any security guarantees from the United States must be institutionally solidified through Congress to ensure long-term stability.
Four years of attrition
As of February 24, the conflict enters its fourth year of full-scale warfare. Russia currently occupies roughly 18% of Ukrainian territory, maintaining control over Crimea and significant portions of the east and south.
The war of attrition has destabilized European security along a 1,000-kilometer front line. While official casualty figures remain classified, intelligence estimates point to hundreds of thousands of military casualties and over 10,000 confirmed civilian deaths.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
