Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the energy crisis in Europe is a small price to pay to avert a world war.
He insisted further aid to Ukraine is essential in stopping Putin, who he compared to Hitler, from launching a ‘fully-fledged war’ on Europe.
Meanwhile in an interview with the BBC, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska said she recognised that the impact of the war in Ukraine was tough on its allies, but said as Britons “count pennies”, Ukrainians “count casualties”.
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Only last week outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said that households across the UK and Europe must endure the cost-of-living crisis to counter Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The Mail Online reports: The Ukrainian president said he has ‘no strength and time’ for war fatigue fuelled by the cost of living crisis that was worsened by Russia squeezing natural gas supplies.
He claims soaring inflation and a short-term energy crisis are ‘incomparable’ to the risks posed by a global war.
Mr Zelensky said European leaders ‘should not keep talking and waiting for evidence’ from battlefield deaths and court rulings, but instead argued officials ‘need to settle all this now.’
His stark warning came as Mr Zelensky hailed Boris Johnson as a ‘true friend’ to Ukraine, days before the prime minister leaves office.
He also said he ‘doesn’t know’ whether French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ‘fully understand’ the threat Putin poses.
‘I have to believe and trust in [Macron and Scholz] understanding,’ Mr Zelensky told The Sunday Times. ‘What I know for sure is that their relationship towards Ukraine [has changed] from the beginning of my presidency…I believe that they are more supportive.’
He accused the French and German leaders of being hesitant to take on Russia despite Mr Scholz having reversed decades of ‘passive defence policy’ by announcing it would deliver weapons to Ukraine. Officials allege that several months later many of the weapons have yet to arrive.
Similarly, Macron has been ridiculed for proclaiming he would personally call Putin in an attempt to halt his invasion of Ukraine.
Despite assurances from the French and German leaders, Zelensky is still fearful about Ukraine’s ability to halt further Russian advances and claims his country does not ‘have sufficient weapons and support to have a strategic victory over the Russian occupation.’
‘We need to settle all this now,’ Mr Zelensky said. ‘We know that there is an occupying force. They are not hiding that they are occupiers.
‘We know [standing up to Russia] is going to be painful. If you are not willing to lose something, then you will have even graver risks to face.’
He warned, hours before Russia indefinitely suspended gas supply through Europe’s key route, that a world war would be far more detrimental than the impacts of inflation.
‘There are risks like that but I believe that the global society should be afraid of this fatigue. They should be afraid that Ukrainians would be weaker, that we will not be able to stand strong because Russia would definitely continue,’ he said.
‘They would go to Poland and the Baltic countries. And they have to analyse what will happen . . . What would Nato countries do? There would be a fully-fledged war on the European continent.
‘We are talking about a global war. So in today’s situation, the resilience of Ukraine is important for the world. The global community can’t afford to lose.’
He accused the Kremlin leader of following in Hitler’s footsteps, alleging leaders should not underestimate Moscow.
Niamh Harris