Volodymyr Zelenskyy laid into Vladimir Putin on Thursday over his latest threat to use a new ballistic missile against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president recalled how the Russian leader had threatened to “strike somewhere in Kyiv with Oreshnik” using a new hypersonic ballistic missile developed by Moscow which can carry a nuclear warhead.
Putin claimed Western systems “stand no chance” against this new weapon, and even invited Ukraine to “install air defences and let’s see what happens.”
Speaking at his annual press conference and phone in, Putin suggested setting up this “experiment or duel” between the West and Russia, adding: “It will be interesting for us.”
According to a translation on Sky News, Zelenskyy repeated these remarks hours after Putin’s Q&A at his own press conference.
He then asked the room: “Do you think that’s a sane person?
“Simply scumbags.”
Zelenskyy continued: “I think he’s crazy. Really, I think he also thinks that he’s crazy. No, no it’s true.
“He loves to kill. That’s very dangerous for everybody.”
Alluding to the US president-elect’s promise to end the conflict, Zelenskyy said: “I want very much [for] Trump to help us and to finish this war. I’m just against just words [like] ceasefire, and that’s all.”
He said a ceasefire would make “everybody happy” – but only temporarily.
“Can you imagine that in two months, Putin will come back, [or] in six months, one year, two years,” the Ukrainian president predicted.
“Who will lose? Everybody. Everybody will lose, [everybody] made this decision, [made] this deal.”
He continued: “I don’t want it because, after this, I don’t know what we are going to do.
“That’s why I think we need to have a real plan, a strong position.”
Zelenskyy later posted on X (formerly Twitter) calling Putin a “dumbass” for after the Russian president said it would be “interesting” to have a missile duel.
Putin already fired his new Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November, supposedly in response to Ukraine’s first authorised use of US and UK missiles against Russia.
He has repeatedly threatened to target “decision-making centres” in Ukraine in recent weeks.
On Thursday, he said Moscow’s “list of priority targets includes military facilities and military-industrial complex facilities”.
Bizarrely, Putin was also asked at his press conference if Russia would grant political asylum to Zelenskyy.
He said, “the West will take him in,” but added: “If he suddenly appeared out of nowhere... no one is refused in Russia.”