“I think that people who are from business, they understand that the economy is in terrible situation in Russia.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in June while describing what he sees as a split around Vladimir Putin.
There is no agreement inside the Kremlin leader’s circle about where the war goes next, Zelenskyy said. Some of the people close to Putin want the fighting to go on. Others want it over. He singled out Russian businessmen as the ones who grasp the damage to the economy, according to RBC-Ukraine.
He laid out three conditions he thinks would bring peace closer. Europe, Canada and the US keep their sanctions in place and lean harder on Russia’s shadow fleet and other sectors of its economy. Ukraine stays strong on the battlefield. Pressure on Russia grows on every front. Kyiv’s negotiating position is unchanged, he said: Ukraine is ready to talk, but it will not give up territory.
The July claim
Zelenskyy returned to the theme on July 10, this time going further. “We have put forward proposals on how to achieve peace,” he said. “We have support for peace not only from our international partners but also from people in Putin’s closest circle. They understand what is happening and that there is no alternative to peace.”
He named no one. The reports of his remarks give no evidence for the claim and no reply from the Kremlin.
In the same remarks Zelenskyy said Russia faces a worsening petrol shortage, which he put down to Ukraine’s continuing long-range strikes. Ukrainian forces have hit targets in several Russian regions, he said, along with military objectives in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
Sanctions pressure from Brussels
The EU is pushing the same line on sanctions. High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said Russia’s losses from sanctions have already passed $1.5 trillion, and the bloc is preparing new restrictions on 80 organizations and individuals.
RBC-Ukraine also reported that Russian intelligence agencies temporarily switched off the video surveillance system around Putin for checks after the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, out of concern about the abilities of modern intelligence technology.
Sources
- Zelenskyy says cracks emerging inside Putin's inner circle over war
- Zelenskyy says some in Putin's inner circle support ending the war
