'Current signals from Russia are...': Zelensky says Putin is avoiding meeting him and wants war to continue

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday (August 21) of not wanting to meet him, as he is willing to continue the ongoing war. He said that Putin is avoiding the "necessity" of holding a meeting between the two countries' leaders despite US-led efforts to arrange such a summit to try to end the war.

"Current signals from Russia are, to be honest, indecent. They're trying to avoid the necessity to meet. They don't want to end this war," Zelensky said in his evening address published on social media.

The Ukrainian president also said that Russia launched a massive attack overnight, including 574 drones and 40 missiles. Ukrainian forces intercepted a large portion of the assault, but some strikes still hit civilian targets, he said.

Earlier, Zelensky wrote, "This war must be ended. We must put pressure on Russia to end the war. Putin understands nothing but force and pressure. Of course, we are doing and will do everything necessary to protect our state and protect our people."

"President Trump is absolutely right: this must be done not only in defense. But at the same time, we are not reducing our efforts in diplomacy, in all our contacts with partners, so that negotiations can still take place, and precisely those that can bring peace closer," he added.

"And every day there will be new steps by partners in support of Ukraine - I will have a lot of diplomatic work. I thank everyone who is with us, who is with Ukraine," he wrote on Telegram.

Putin may NEVER meet Zelensky - and THIS is the reason

Putin began this war with Ukraine by unilaterally announcing a chunk of Ukrainian land as independent. He has argued Ukraine is “an inalienable part of (Russia’s) own history, culture and spiritual space,” and its separation from Russia is a historical mistake.

Hence, if the meeting between the Russian and Ukraineian presidents takes place, Putin will have to "accept the failure of sitting down with a president he considers a joke from a country that doesn’t exist” - as Orysia Lutsevich, the director of Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia program, said.

She also told CNN that the meeting would make it difficult for Putin to explain the change in tone to the Russians. “(Putin) so much brainwashed Russians on state television that Zelensky’s a Nazi, that (Ukraine’s) a puppet state of the West … that Zelensky’s illegitimate, why is he suddenly talking to him?” she said.

Moreover, Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and founder of R.Politik, said that Putin does not see a meeting with Zelensky as critical in a war. Rather, he would only agree to meeting his Ukrainian counterpart if he knew the meeting would be in his favour.