Putin is being 'driven nuts' by Ukrainian president Zelenskyy's heroism, says former US ambassador
Vladimir Putin is being 'driven nuts' by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s heroism, a former US ambassador has said.
The Russian forces have been met with fierce resistance in Ukraine, whose strong line of defence has pushed the invasion into its seventh day.
Zelenskyy, 44, has been praised after he remained in Kyiv to rally his people against the Russian incursion.
Former US ambassador Michael McFaul said his sources in the region had told him Putin was not happy with the reaction his counterpart was receiving.
“The fact that Zelenskyy is not leaving Kyiv is driving Putin nuts.’ he told NBC’s Morning Joe.
“Because the whole world is talking about his heroism and the whole world is talking about how evil Vlamir Putin is.”
Zelenskyy has become a heroic figure after remaining in Kyiv.
He released videos proving he was still on the ground after rumors he had fled.
“We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are defending Ukraine,” he said in a clip released last Friday.
He also later rejected an offer from the US to evacuate him, adding: “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
The Times reported a bounty on his head with more than 400 Russian mercenaries trying to assassinate him.
As he spoke to EU lawmakers and top officials on Tuesday, a Russian armoured column was bearing down on Ukraine's capital.
An interpreter broke down during an emotional speech as he told the European Parliament his people are "fighting for their freedom".
Addressing the EU in a live video link, the Ukrainian leader pleaded with European leaders to "prove you are together with us".
Read more: Video shows building engulfed in fireball after Russian missile strike
McFaul said he has been talking to Ukrainians and Russians worried because Putin has become disconnected from reality.
He added that many Russians were in shock the Russian leader had finally gone off the deep end, but the country didn’t have the structures to stop it.
McFaul said Russian soldiers didn’t have the morale because Putin had sent them to a war he hadn't clearly explained the reason for.
He said Putin had become disconnected from his advisors and didn't listen to anybody or have a feel for his county and may have finally overreached in Ukraine after two decades of winning wars.
McFaul said: “He doesn’t have people around him he listens to. He’s been isolated forever.”
Read more: Ruthless Putin 'knows no limit' and will indiscriminately carpet bomb Ukrainian cities, UK warns
US intelligence agencies told NBC Putin was frustrated by setbacks in Ukraine and could increase the violence.
The Russians have so-far targeted built-up areas in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Chernihiv, but have been largely held by Ukrainian armed forces as well as citizens, many of whom have taken up arms.
In Kyiv, Tuesday evening's missile strike on a TV Tower killed five people while a 40 mile-long convoy of soldiers is on its way towards the capital, though US officials have claimed it has made little progress in the past 24 hours, frozen in place by logistical and supply problems.
However, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace warned Russia will now intensify its campaign, with indiscriminate carpet bombing tactics and a scale of brutality that "is going to get worse".
