Zelensky: Ukraine does not start a war first, but it always stands to the last

A large number of Russian troops have been deployed near Ukraine's state borders, but the threat is not only foreign troops, but also emotions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
He said this in a video address published on his Facebook page on Tuesday, April 20, according to Ukrinform.

"A large number of Russian troops are concentrated near our state borders. Russia officially calls it an exercise. Unofficially, the whole world calls such things blackmail. Does this worry us? Yes, it does. Do Ukraine and its international partners demand that troops be withdrawn from our borders? Yes, they do. After all, the Russian Federation constantly repeats that it seeks peace, but at the same time it creates all preconditions for escalation," Zelensky said.

According to him, it is not logical but it is not unexpected. At the same time, he believes that this does not mean that escalation is inevitable. Ukraine does not want a war and intends to fight for peace through diplomacy, he said.

"Our principle is simple: Ukraine does not start a war first, but Ukraine always stands to the last. What do you need to do? First, you need to realize that the threat is not only foreign troops, but also our emotions. How we react to information and where we get it. It is worth thinking thrice whether you should fully trust experts from the Internet, 'reliable' media sources, insiders of anonymous Telegram channels. Rumors in the minibus, in the market and near the entrance. Rumors from acquaintances whose acquaintances have acquaintances in the Ministry of Defense and secretly shared secret information," Zelensky said.

In his opinion, it is not necessary to trust the statements of politicians "for whom it is not your interests that matters, but your votes."