In his nightly address on Wednesday, Zelensky referenced Kissinger's remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, in which the former secretary of state said Ukraine should negotiate a deal with Russia to return "to the status quo ante," meaning returning to the territorial lines in place on Feb. 24, when Russia began its invasion. The agreement Kissinger suggests would allow Russia to maintain control of the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Donbas region. The Ukrainian president argued that Kissinger, who fled Nazi forces at the age of 15, should know better.
"No matter what the Russian state does, there is always someone who says: let's take its interests into account. This year in Davos it was heard again. Despite thousands of Russian missiles hitting Ukraine. Despite tens of thousands of Ukrainians killed. Despite Bucha and Mariupol, etc. Despite the destroyed cities. And despite the 'filtration camps' built by the Russian state, in which they kill, torture, rape and humiliate like on a conveyor belt," Zelensky said before taking aim at Kissinger.