--- title: "Zelenskyy: Moscow, not Crimea, is what can force Putin to stop the war" description: "Zelenskyy stated that Moscow, not Crimea, is what can force Putin to stop the war. The President of Ukraine called the Kremlin's \"love\" for the peninsula a myth and explained the aggressive rhetoric as an attempt to sell a non-existent victory to society. πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸš«πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί" date: 2026-07-02T15:02:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelenskyy-moscow-not-crimea-is-what-can-force-putin-to-stop-the-war tags: [] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Zelenskyy: Moscow, not Crimea, is what can force Putin to stop the war ![President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his desk discussing the strategy to end the war](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/02/zelen-skij-moskvu-a-ne-krym-mozhet-zastavit-putina-prekratit-voinu/zelen-skij-moskvu-a-ne-krym-mozhet-zastavit-putina-prekratit-voinu-1.webp) In his statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy identified the key factor capable of influencing the Russian leadership's decision to cease hostilities. According to the Ukrainian leader, a threat to Moscow itself is the only leverage that can force Vladimir Putin to halt the aggression. ### The Myth of "Love" for Crimea The head of state sharply criticized the Kremlin's rhetoric regarding Crimea. Zelenskyy emphasized that any words from Putin about his "tender feelings" for the peninsula do not correspond to reality. The President of Ukraine believes that the Russian leader actually does not know the real situation in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. "Only the island of Moscow, not Crimea, can force Putin to stop hostilities," Zelenskyy stated. He added that the information Putin operates with is limited only to the reports of his officers, not real knowledge of the situation. ### The Need to "Sell" Victory Volodymyr Zelenskyy also analyzed the motivation of the Russian leadership. According to him, the dictator is in desperate need of demonstrating successes to strengthen internal support. Since there are no real military achievements on the front lines, the Kremlin tries to compensate for this with aggressive statements and intimidation. "He needs to sell a great victory to his society. There is no victory. There will be no victory," the Ukrainian leader summarized, pointing to the gap between propagandistic rhetoric and the actual state of affairs.