Putin wants to occupy Ukraine/Getty Images

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in stopping hostilities, but simply wants to occupy the country.

He begins to think that calling Putin is just waste of time. After all, he is simply not interested in finding peace.

I thought that a quick victory for the Russians was likely

Draghi hoped to the last that the war could be avoided. That is why the leaders of the EU countries regularly called Putin. However, the miracle did not happen – the Russian army invaded Ukraine on a full scale anyway.

He thought that the Russians would quickly overcome the resistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But he admits he was wrong. The Ukrainian people are heroically fighting against the invaders.

“Ukrainian resistance is heroic.As President Zelensky says, the people have become the army of Ukraine. We are waiting for a war of resistance, prolonged violence with destruction. However, there are no signs that the Ukrainian people can accept Russian occupation,” Draghi said.

Putin believes that it is “not the time” to meet Zelensky yet

In one of the conversations that had already taken place since the full-scale invasion, Draghi asked Putin if he had ever seen Zelensky. After all, in his opinion, only the two of them can agree on a ceasefire. However, Putin believes that the time has not yet come for this meeting.

After the conversation, they agreed to talk in a few days. But then Russian atrocities took place in the Kiev region. Draghi admits – always supported the views of French President Emmanuel Macron that all avenues of dialogue should be used.

But now tends to talk ineffective with Putin.

I'm starting to think that those who say that it's useless for you to talk to them, you're just wasting your time… But I have one gets the impression that the horror of the war with its massacres, with what they did to children and women, does not depend at all on the words and phone calls that they make, Draghi concluded.

Let us recall, as the chancellor noted Austria, Putin has “his own logic” for the war in Ukraine. He thinks he's supposed to be winning. In the meantime, at least half of the crew drowned along with the cruiser Moskva.