“Harsh words can harm negotiations.” Lex Fridman criticized Zelensky’s profanity directed at Putin

American podcaster Lex Fridman criticized Volodymyr Zelensky for his profane remarks about Vladimir Putin during a three-hour interview with him.

Fridman shared his opinion at the end of a lengthy conversation with historian Jennifer Burns, which was posted on his social media yesterday.

“I gave the president every opportunity to demonstrate his readiness for negotiations, knowing that both Trump and Putin would be listening to this conversation. I don’t think he took this chance, and instead, he chose to use very harsh language about Vladimir Putin. Harsh words of disrespect, while powerful, can harm negotiations. Peacemaking in this situation requires compromise to avoid further deaths and suffering. And I believe that to achieve this, you need to treat the other leader with the seriousness you would expect from them. That’s what I was aiming for,” Fridman said.

During his conversation with Fridman, the Ukrainian president swore several times—about Putin, the West’s refusal to impose preemptive sanctions against Russia before its full-scale invasion in 2022, and the Budapest Memorandum.

A few days later, “Ukrposhta” (Ukrainian Postal Service) launched a stamp featuring Zelensky’s quote: “The Budapest Memorandum is bullsh*t.”