“We see Putin’s reaction. It’s weak,” Zelenskyy informed CNN’s Erin Burnett in Odesa, in an interview taped on Sunday.
“Firstly, we see he doesn’t control everything. Wagner’s moving deep into Russia and taking certain regions shows how easy it is to do. Putin doesn’t control the situation in the regions.
“All that vertical of energy he used to have is simply crumbling down.”
Some Russians cheered on Wagner fighters as Prigozhin led the unprecedented challenge to Putin’s authority.
Video geolocated and verified by CNN showed crowds cheering as the Wagner boss’s vehicle departed the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on June 24.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence reports showed the Kremlin was measuring support for Prigozhin, and he claimed that half of Russia supported the Wagner boss and the paramilitary group’s mutiny.
The interview with Zelenskyy comes at a critical time – not only in the wake of Prigozhin’s failed insurrection, but also weeks into Ukraine’s slow push to recapture territory occupied by Russia.
Zelenskyy told CNN he was “shocked” to see his meeting with Burns reported in the media.
“My communication with the CIA chief ought to all the time be behind the scenes,” he said.
“We talk about vital issues – what Ukraine wants and the way Ukraine is ready to behave.”
“We haven’t any secrets and techniques from CIA, as a result of now we have good relations, and our intelligence providers discuss with one another,” Zelenskyy said.
“The state of affairs is fairly easy. We have good relations with the CIA chief and we’re speaking. I informed him about all of the vital issues associated to the battlefield which we’d like.”
Burns travelled to Kyiv before Prigozhin’s rebellion, which was not a topic of discussion, the US official told CNN.
Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Prigozhin’s rebellion had “vastly affected Russian energy on the battlefield” and could be beneficial to Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
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“We can’t think about Ukraine with out Crimea. And whereas Crimea is below the Russian occupation, it means just one factor: the conflict isn’t over but,” he said.
Asked whether there was any scenario under which there could be peace without Crimea, Zelenskyy said: “It won’t be victory then”.
Source: www.9news.com.au
