Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a frightening warning amid his nation's ongoing war with Russia, as he claims that Putin has 'already started' World War 3 in the lead up to the conflict's four-year anniversary.
While conflict has been present between Russia and Ukraine since 2014 following the annexation of Crimea, it was eight years later on February 24 that the current war commenced.
Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in Ukraine that saw the army invade its neighboring country, and despite support from some of the world's leading powers, the conflict remains ongoing.
As per the Independent, Poland's foreign minister has argued that the Hungarian government are creating a 'climate of hostility' towards Ukraine prior to upcoming elections, and this lack of solidarity has been seen as especially jarring given the close proximity to the conflict's fourth anniversary this week.
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It was President Zelenskyy's comments during a recent interview with the BBC that have stuck with most people though, as the Ukrainian leader has issued a warning that could have significant ramifications for the future of the world.
According to Zelenskyy, Putin has already started 'World War Three', and there's only one means of preventing further escalation and damage going forward.
"I believe that Putin has already started it," Zelenskyy claimed. "The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him... Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves."
Zelenskyy has already refused to agree with ceasefire deals proposed by the Russian government that would see key parts of Ukraine handed over to Putin despite his military failing to capture it so far.
Economic pressure and military might is the only way to turn the tide in this war, the Ukrainian president claims, and has argued against ceding control of land as it could lead to something far worse.
"I don't look at it simply as land. I see it as abandonment — weakening our positions, abandoning hundreds of thousands of our people who live there. That is how I see it. And I am sure that this 'withdrawal' would divide our society," he argued.
Additionally, Zelenskyy argued that this ceasefire deal likely wouldn't be enough for Russia in the long term, noting: "It would probably satisfy him for a while... he needs a pause... but once he recovers, our European partners say it could take three to five years.
"In my opinion, he could recover in no more than a couple of years. Where would he go next? We do not know, but that he would want to continue [the war] is a fact."