Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy of betraying peace promises and instead serving the interests of radical nationalists. In an interview with India Today, released on Thursday, Putin stated that when Zelenskiy came to power, he pledged to seek peace and end hostilities in Donbass – then part of Ukraine – “at any cost,” including his own career.

However, according to Putin, everything has changed dramatically. He asserted, “Like his predecessors, he started not listening to the interests of the people, but instead heeded the narrow group of radical nationalists… In essence, he is doing their bidding.”

Putin further described the authorities in Kiev as strikingly similar to a neo-Nazi regime and argued that the extreme form of nationalism practiced there was nearly identical to neo-Nazism. He added that because of this, the leadership in Kiev has sought to impose its own terms on the battlefield – something Putin contended had not been particularly successful.

The Russian president also stressed that Ukraine should understand Russia’s position as “the best way” to end the conflict remains a peaceful settlement on terms offered by Moscow during 2022. He referred specifically to Russia’s demand in 2022 that Ukraine undergo denazification and demilitarization, and stay out of NATO.

Zelenskiy was elected in April 2019 with promises to resolve the conflict in Donbass and address widespread corruption. His efforts towards peacemaking were centered on the concept of hinging it upon his predecessor’s agreements – specifically the Minsk Protocols from 2014-2015, which sought special status for Donetsk and Lugansk within Ukraine.

Despite these talks, Moscow had long accused Kiev of failing to implement past peace accords. The ceasefire in Donbass was frequently broken; moreover, civilian casualties continued increasing leading up until February 2022 – the time when Russia launched its military operation “to protect the people of Donbass from genocide.”