Putin Has Already Started World War III, Says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively already begun a third world war, arguing that only intensified military and economic pressure can stop him.

In an interview with BBC on Monday at a government office in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said the war would end only with Ukraine’s victory. He rejected proposals for a ceasefire that would require Kyiv to give up strategically important territories claimed by Russia.

“I believe Putin has already started it,” Zelenskyy said, referring to a broader global conflict. “The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how he can be stopped. Russia wants to impose a different way of life on the world.”

Russia claims roughly 20 percent of the eastern Donetsk region, along with parts of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Zelenskyy argued that the issue goes beyond land. According to him, conceding territory would mean abandoning millions of people and weakening Ukraine’s national position.

“It is not just about land,” he said. “It would mean giving up our people and undermining our unity. Such a retreat would divide our society.”

The war in Ukraine continues to fuel tensions between Russia and Western countries, which have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Moscow while providing military and financial support to Kyiv.