Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he rejects the idea of a “truce” in the war with Russia during the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is defended by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“I said, Emmanuel, we don’t believe it. Let’s imagine for a moment that there is a ceasefire. First of all, we don’t believe [Vladimir] Putin. Secondly, he will not withdraw his troops. And thirdly, Emmanuel, who guarantees that Russia will not take advantage of this to send its troops into our territory,” Zelensky said in an interview with AFP.
The 2024 Olympic Games will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11.
Traditionally, the UN declares an Olympic truce, which begins a week before the Games and ends a week after them.
“We are not against a truce, just as we are not against the end of the war. But we want a fair end to this war. And we are against a truce, which would play into the hands of the enemy,” Zelensky continued.
A few hours earlier, the Russian president, during a trip to China, also spoke out against the Olympic truce due to the exclusion of athletes from his country due to the invasion of Ukraine.