Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to wish for Vladimir Putin’s death in his annual Christmas address to Ukraine.
“Today we all share one dream. And we make one wish, for all of us: may he perish,” the Ukrainian president said.
The comment was widely understood to refer to the Russian president, who has continued to bombard Kyiv during ongoing peace talks.
“We ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it. And we pray for it. And we deserve it. That every Ukrainian family may live in harmony,” Mr Zelensky continued.
“That every Ukrainian child may rejoice in a gift, smile and preserve that so very important childlike faith in goodness and in miracles.”
Mr Zelensky also condemned “godless” attacks on Ukraine a day after Moscow launched a barrage of almost 700 missiles and drones, which killed three people and wounded 12 others.
A Ukrainian serviceman prepares shells to fire a M777 Howitzer towards Russian troops in the Dnipropetrovsk region – Reuters
“This is how the godless strike. This is how those act who have absolutely nothing in common with Christianity or with anything human,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader has previously said Putin “will die soon”, and his death would usher in the end of the conflict.
As Ukraine prepares to mark its fourth Christmas at war, Mr Zelensky unveiled a new 20-point peace plan backed by the US which indicated he would be willing to cede territory.
Ukrainians in Kyiv attend a festive service at Saint Michael’s Monastery on Christmas Eve – Elise Blanchard
Although the document is more favourable to Ukraine than a previous 28-point proposal drafted by Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, and Russia’s representative Kirill Dmitriev, the revised plan still contains significant concessions from Kyiv.
Mr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he was prepared to relinquish control of the eastern Donbas region to create an “economic free zone” that would serve as a demilitarised buffer against Russia.
The US has backed an “economic free zone” as a compromise between Ukraine and Russia, which demanded Kyiv surrender the Donbas in its entirety along with several other regions illegally annexed by Moscow.
The 20-point deal also proposed a less strict limitation on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces and ironclad security guarantees for Kyiv if Russia were to launch another invasion.
