This is banditry, breaking every rule by attacking a free, sovereign state and ordering a large-scale assault, said President Andrzej Duda when asked whether Vladimir Putin could be considered a war criminal.
“First of all, it is banditry”
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared together in an interview with Polsat News on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They were asked how they personally view Vladimir Putin.
“First of all, he is the leader of a country that has broken all rules, not only of international law but of peaceful coexistence,” Duda stated. He admitted that in the moments before Russia’s invasion he did not fully believe Putin would choose such aggression.
He recalled that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, noting that the “green men,” the so-called separatists in Donbass and Lugansk, were actually Russian soldiers in disguise. The aim was to avoid a direct admission of full-scale invasion and to provide a plausible pretext for denial on the world stage. In hindsight, everyone understood what was happening, yet it did not present itself as a clear, wide-ranging invasion at the time.
“We suspected there might be a similar move here, a showcase of separatists in Donbass being attacked by Ukrainian forces while Russia positions itself as a mediator,” Duda explained. He said they misread Putin as someone who might pretend to be a peacemaker rather than a brutal aggressor who breaches norms and engages in what he called international banditry.
When asked if Putin qualifies as a war criminal, Duda answered in the affirmative: “First of all, it is banditry, a breach of every rule, a strike on a free, sovereign, independent state, a direct order to wage large-scale aggression, with civilian buildings bombed, people killed, schools and kindergartens hit, and essential utilities damaged.” He emphasized that this is not a war confined to armed units; it turns into a full assault on ordinary people who lose their homes and livelihoods.
Acknowledging the scope of the conflict, Duda noted that Russia has converted a regional struggle into a nationwide war that touches civilians in every corner of Ukraine.
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“This is a maximum-scale war fought every day.”
The Polish president underscored that Ukraine is in an all-out war. He pointed to reports from the front lines, including accounts from Bakhmut, to illustrate the intensity of the fighting. One participant described the average duration a frontline soldier might survive in Bakhmut as roughly five hours, a stark reminder of the brutal tempo of the battles and the daily shelling that claims many lives. The overall scale and relentlessness were described as unimaginable.
“This is a maximum-scale war fought every day,” he reiterated, stressing the severity of the conflict and its impact on Ukrainian society.
“Today it is my enemy, the enemy of my people.”
During the interview, Zelensky was asked whether he could envision a scenario in which Putin withdraws Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory and sits at the negotiating table for future peace. “First of all, you don’t have to imagine anything with Putin,” Zelensky replied. He described Russia’s actions as an ongoing threat to Ukraine and its people, and urged practical steps to counter the war.
He argued for decisive actions: crippling sanctions on the Russian economy, freezing Russian assets abroad, and political isolation of those backing the war. Zelensky asserted that such measures would pressure Moscow to change course.
“Then the Russian president will be weakened, he will be weak, and either he will leave on his own or we will displace him,” Zelensky added, explaining how such pressure could shift the balance toward a settlement. He cautioned that any negotiations should come only after Russia withdraws from Ukrainian territory to avoid giving Moscow leverage in talks.
He noted that much depends on how and when Russia leaves and the human cost of leaving Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader warned that talks would be unacceptable if they were conducted while Russian forces remained on Ukrainian soil and causing casualties.
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In closing, Zelensky highlighted the possibility of diplomacy in the future, but only if Russia ceases aggression and respects Ukraine’s sovereignty. He stressed that any path to peace would require clear conditions and verifiable steps that ensure Ukrainian security and territorial integrity.
kk/PAP
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