Zelensky: Territorial concessions in Ukraine would trigger war in Europe

Any territorial concessions in Ukraine would only serve as a springboard for Putin to launch aggression against Europe if he fails to consolidate power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Le Point.

Zelensky recalled that Putin’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 was aimed at turning it into a base to encircle southern Ukraine and prepare for further offensives.

“In 2014, he invaded the east of our country to use it as a staging ground for the full occupation of these regions. If tomorrow we were to abandon Donbas—which will not happen—Putin would open a vulnerable corridor near Kharkiv, a city of 1.5 million people. He would also seize the industrial hub of Dnipro, creating new opportunities for further aggression,” Zelensky warned.

According to the Ukrainian leader, if Putin manages to achieve his original plan of taking control of all of Ukraine, he would then use it as a platform to strike into Europe. Whether he succeeds, Zelensky stressed, depends on Europe’s strength.

“If Europe is strong, he may fail. But if it is weak, it will suffer from Russia’s actions,” he said.

The president also highlighted the geographical and technological risks: the distance between Moscow and Paris is less than 3,000 kilometers, while the missiles Russia currently uses to bombard Ukraine have a range of 2,500 kilometers.

Ukraine itself already possesses missiles with a 3,000-kilometer range, Zelensky noted, underlining that war is accelerating technological development “here in Europe, but also in Russia.” He warned that within two years, Russia will likely have many missiles capable of striking targets up to 5,000 kilometers away.

“The sea will not protect anyone. The ocean will not protect anyone. In this context, the weapons Russia is using today are not so different from nuclear delivery systems,” Zelensky said.

He concluded by stressing that Ukraine’s fate will determine where the border of Europe is drawn.

“If Ukraine cannot withstand, that border will move to Poland—or even to Germany. Europe has been divided like this before: the eastern border of West Germany once marked the frontier of the free world. Today, everything depends on us—on whether we allow Russia’s ambitions to grow,” Zelensky declared.