“A very toxic atmosphere.” That is how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the mood around Vladimir Putin in his evening video address on Facebook, and he said even people close to the Russian leader see it.
Zelenskyy tied the change to the battlefield. “Right now, the situation on the battlefield, along with our long-range and mid-range strikes, is creating a new atmosphere around Putin,” he said. He blamed Putin personally for starting the war and for blocking its end. “Putin alone is responsible for the losses Russia is suffering,” he said.
The people around Putin, he said, know what is going on. “They are sending signals to our partners and to us. Russian society is increasingly beginning to feel it as well.” He offered no names and no detail about the signals.
He closed on a call for decisions that would bring peace. “Ukraine has long been ready for this,” Zelenskyy said. “We are now doing everything to ensure this war ends with dignity.”
Talks and a command shake-up
Earlier on July 22, according to RBC-Ukraine, Zelenskyy said he had discussed resuming negotiations with Russia with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
He also announced changes to Ukraine’s defense policy following the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. The changes will touch drone capabilities and mobilization.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s long-range strikes, and the resulting damage to Russia’s economy, are having a tangible effect on Moscow’s willingness to keep fighting. His account could not be independently checked from the material reported, and the Russian side’s response was not part of the report.
