RIYADH: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized the referendums and agreements formally recognizing the annexation of territories in eastern Ukraine as "bloody pr- (stunts) based on human victims".

I am unsure of the nature of the referendums that were held. Such referendums do not exist in Ukraine. In an exclusive interview conducted from Kyiv via a Zoom video link, Zelensky informed Frankly Speaking host Katie Jensen that we don't even have a law for that purpose.

An overwhelming majority in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson voted in a referendum to join the Russian Federation, which many international observers believe was rigged.

Also Read: Lyman a crucial town is taken by Ukraine

Zelensky also dismissed Putin's recent claims of significant military victories. Recent advances by Ukrainian forces in the east, including the recapture of the city of Lian in one of Russia's four covenants, announced the "withdrawal" of its troops to Moscow to "more advantageous lines". inspired to.

“What they say and what they actually do are clearly two different things. They announced that they would occupy our country and its territory. However, I can tell you that eight months old After the battle, we have taken back another city, Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, the same city that Russia recently announced to be completely occupied.

“Unlike Russia, we are not interested in Russian territories, I can assure Russia and the Russian people. Based on international recognition since 1991, we are interested in our territory and borders.

The war in Ukraine has rocked the region as well as the global geopolitical and economic order, due to changes in energy trade, rising oil and gas prices, and restructuring of supply chains.

More than six million Ukrainians emigrated to neighboring countries. As nations are under pressure to choose a side, meanwhile diplomatic tensions have risen. There is also growing concern about the security of the world's food supply.

There seems to be no clear end to the war, which has again left world leaders on edge in the wake of Putin's annexation of four regions of Ukraine.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine's success will ultimately depend on three factors.

“I believe that when the people of a nation are united and able to overcome small conflicts and historical discrepancies, it is a great victory for the whole of humanity. This is important, he declared. Of.

“We are advancing against the second largest army in the world, and we have been able to demonstrate that the real strength lies in unity, not in arms.

“Our ability to bring Europe and the whole world together is the third victory. You know, in the past, everyone stood up for themselves. As a result of this integration, it is clear that we will have a lot more challenges ahead of us, even on a global scale. .

Despite Zelensky's note of optimism, Moscow has vowed never to give up its recently annexed territories and to defend them by all available means. The President of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has even gone so far as to advocate for the use of low-grade nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

These threats were disregarded by Zelensky, referring to Kadyrov as a "terrorist who was not even chosen by his own people."

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"This is not an emergency. Let's go. How can one use nuclear weapons to threaten others in the modern world? Yes, there are a lot of terrorists in the world. We have killers, but I can't be so harsh" That I had a conversation with a terrorist,” he said.

Zelensky has signed a petition to accelerate Ukraine's NATO membership. However, many critics believe this to be an ineffective request, especially in light of the fact that Washington's response did not indicate any prompt action.

According to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who made the statement on Saturday, NATO's application to Ukraine "should be taken at a different time".

Sullivan said, "At this point, we believe that the best way to support Ukraine is through practical, on-the-ground support in Ukraine and that the process in Brussels should be taken at a different time."

Despite this, Zelensky argued that nations should "focus only on facts, not just words".

We received statements from ten NATO allies expressing our full support for Ukraine," he said. NATO should accept the nation "as soon as possible".

"I like to tell when in terms of geography, in terms of time. When we are at our borders, I believe it can happen.

The actor-turned-war leader in Ukraine resolutely reiterated that he would only engage in talks with a different president, rejecting Putin's offer to join the talks.

The Russian president should not be violating our territorial integrity if this occurs, according to Zelensky. "We did warn them that if you want to launch these fake referendums, there will be no further talks with the president of the Russian Federation," he said. "If the Russian president cannot respect the law, international law, and the constitution, and by the way, not just our constitution, but that of his own country.

"Am I allowed to speak with him? Not a president, he

However, it appears that there is room for negotiations and initiatives that might help to resolve a number of urgent problems, including prisoner swaps and the release of grain bound for the Black Sea from Ukraine's southern ports.

Saudi Arabia recently mediated a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, serving a crucial diplomatic function between the two warring parties.

Zelensky said, "I'd like to thank Saudi Arabia for the effort. Given the crown prince's connections to Russia, there was probably a good chance of success, and I'm grateful to him greatly for this outstanding outcome.

The agreement saw the return of nearly 300 people, including 10 foreigners, to their home countries, marking the first of the war's few victories.

The initiative, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry at the time, was based on the support of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and carried on his efforts to adopt humanitarian measures in response to the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

When it comes to the intended outcomes, the outcomes of such efforts, we are open to any proposals, according to Zelensky.

Also Read: Putin will preside over a Kremlin ceremony annexing portions of Ukraine

Iran has been charged with deceiving senior Ukrainian officials and selling drones to Russia, all while Saudi Arabia has been attempting to mediate.

Zelensky expelled Iranian diplomats from the country after Ukrainian forces shot down Iranian kamikaze drones that had been sold to Russia and were intended to target civilians.

We had direct contact with Iran's top leaders, so it is sad that we now have to admit that they, like the Russian Federation government, are lying. We spoke with the embassy and summoned the ambassadors to the ministry of external affairs, and we were given the assurance that no drones or anything of the sort had been sold to Russia, he said.

"We have several of these downed Iranian drones that were sold to Russia for the purpose of killing our people. You're right that they are being used against civilian infrastructure and peaceful civilians. As a result, we expelled Iranian diplomats from the nation. There is nothing we need to discuss with them.

Zelensky insists that there are significant opportunities for Arab countries to invest in the reconstruction of Ukraine while the war continues to rage.

We would sincerely appreciate it if Arab nations and businesses operated in our nation. We are prepared to provide excellent business, financial, and other terms and conditions. Additionally, every nation willing to visit Ukraine with a recovery plan has one ambitious goal.

Because it's about rebuilding and recovering the entire state and nation, there will be a chance for private companies and Arab nations as well.

But a recent study by Arab News and YouGov found that the majority (66 percent) of Arabs were unconcerned about the conflict in Russia and Ukraine. Additionally, a majority of respondents from the Arab world expressed the opinion that Joe Biden, the US president, and NATO should take the blame for not allowing Ukraine to join years ago. Zelensky disputed this conclusion.

"Truly, Russia is the only party at fault for starting this war. What else might the Western world do to prevent it? Although they may have been able to do more, it is unfair and untrue to blame the US for starting the war. Only Russia is accountable for that, he claimed.

Although NATO is more frequently blamed for the conflict among GCC, Levant, and North African nations, the distribution of blame is more equitable. For instance, only slightly more Gulf state residents (23%) blame NATO than Russia (19 percent).

Major Arab nations like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE have remained largely neutral and expressed a desire to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv despite choosing to condemn Russian aggression during a UN vote in March.