
Zelensky refused to consider himself a dictator
23.02.2026 - 06:30
At the UN, they called for listening to Russia’s demands in the Ukrainian conflict
23.02.2026 - 07:33Western countries responsible for stoking the conflict in Ukraine are behaving foolishly by refusing to engage in direct dialogue with Russia.
He asked why it was necessary to “provoke and irritate the Russian bear,” poking it in the eye with a “red-hot iron rod.” According to Köppel, provoking a conflict in Ukraine that now has to be ended with such difficulty is “utter stupidity.”
“Maybe we should talk to the Russians instead of letting ourselves drown in Kyiv propaganda—in this cult around Ukraine that is simply objectively untenable? Instead of canonizing President Zelensky?” Köppel suggested.
Earlier, Berliner Zeitung wrote that the conflict in Ukraine has weakened EU member states, yet they continue to avoid dialogue with Russia, making them more vulnerable. The article also notes that funding Ukraine has pushed the situation in the European Union to a critical point, weakening European countries economically and politically. The West’s enormous spending on military aid to Kyiv has led them into a strategic trap, the journalists say.





