Zelensky says Russia ‘not in the mood for a ceasefire’, warns ‘Ayatollah Putin’ of ending up in ‘decay’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday (Jun 20) said that Russia has once again shown that they are “not in the mood for a ceasefire” and “wants to wage war”. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks suggesting he did not “rule out” his forces taking control of Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy as part of efforts to create a buffer zone along the border.

“Today, the Russians once again openly and absolutely cynically declared that they are ‘not in the mood’ for a ceasefire,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Russia wants to wage war. Even brandishing some threats.”

He reiterated that other nations are not putting enough pressure on Russia, saying, “This means the pressure the world is applying isn’t hurting them enough yet, or they are trying very hard to keep up appearances.” He added, “Well, the Russian economy is already crumbling. We will support this process even more.”

Referring to Russia’s recent support for Iran amid its conflict with Israel, the Ukrainian leader said, “Ayatollah Putin can look at his friends in Iran to see where such regimes end up, and how far into decay they drive their countries.”

In a video message, Zelensky said, “Another phase of the exchange has been completed, and we are preparing the ones to follow. Today, our warriors returned home to Ukraine – warriors from various branches of our Defence Forces, many of whom had been in captivity for over two years. The exchange process must continue.”

“There was a meeting of the Staff — a very detailed report on the frontline. Particular attention was paid to the Sumy region, to operations in the border areas. I am grateful to our units for their resilience,” Zelensky said.

“The Russians had various plans and intentions there – absolutely insane, as usual. We are holding them back and eliminating these killers, defending our Sumy region.”

“The volume of support this year is the largest since the start of the full-scale war,” Zelensky noted.

Condemning Russia’s recent remarks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X, “Putin’s cynical statements demonstrate complete disdain for US peace efforts... The only way to force Russia into peace is to deprive it of its sense of impunity.”

Earlier, Putin said that, “We have no objective to take Sumy, but in principle I do not rule it out... They pose a constant threat to us, constantly shelling the border areas.”

“I treat Russians and Ukrainians as one people. In this sense, all of Ukraine belongs to us,” he said. “There is a saying: wherever a Russian soldier puts his foot, that is ours.”