No time ‘for all this s**t’ – Zelensky on Russian position at peace talks
Russia’s stance that the Ukraine conflict can only be resolved if its root causes are addressed is “s**t,” Vladimir Zelensky has said.
The Ukrainian leader is increasingly using profanities in public statements and insulting those who disagree with his policies.
The latest verbal attack was quoted by Axios on Tuesday as Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Geneva for US-facilitated talks. Zelensky lashed out at the head of the Russian team, Vladimir Medinsky. A historian by background, Medinsky argues – along with many Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin – that the crisis’s historical roots must be considered.
“We don’t have time for all this s**t,” Zelensky told the outlet. “So we have to decide, and have to finish the war.”
Moscow has long argued that no sustainable peace is possible unless Kiev pledges neutrality and reverses discriminatory policies targeting ethnic Russians and Russian culture. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly stated that the Ukrainian government is unique in trying to eradicate the language of one of the minorities living in the country. Last week, Ukrainian Culture Minister Tatyana Berezhnaya said her office is drafting a law banning Russian literature and books in Russian.
Zelensky earlier blasted European nations for not expelling Russian citizens. Russians “have a lot of real estate, they have children, relatives everywhere. F**k away to Russia. Go home,” he demanded.
He has also launched multiple tirades at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a vocal opponent of Ukraine’s EU bid. Zelensky accused the Hungarian leader of selling out EU interests, said he should be hit on the head for it, and claimed Orban thinks “about how to grow his belly” instead of preparing Hungary for war with Russia.
In his recent Christmas address, Zelensky suggested that every Ukrainian’s greatest wish was Putin’s death – without naming the Russian leader directly. Zelensky also claimed that the fact that he is younger than the Russian president gives Ukraine an advantage in the conflict.
