VOLODYMYR Zelensky changed the world order when he chose to stand defiant against “psychopath” Putin, the Ukrainian leader's former advisor said.
Igor Novikov said it is that strength that is key to ‘s success in the gruelling battle against Russia's meatgrinder forces.
Novikov, who first met in 2018, said the “only way” to stop a ruthless is to show no weakness and fight back as the tyrant is a “textbook psychopath”.
He told Flying Eze: “Strength is the only thing Putin understands. The only way to stop Putin would be to fight back, to push back and to show strength to him.
“Because, in my opinion, he's a textbook psychopath. Putin does not have empathy, he does not understand anything apart from this duality of strength and weakness.
“So whenever you show kindness or anything else, he can mistake it for weakness.
“He preys on you, he fights on you, he tries to conquer. So the only way to contain him or to beat him would be to use strength.
“There's no other option.”
Novikov said it's the strength of – who refused to give in when launched his full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022 – that means is still standing.
While some leaders would have got a private jet and fled as enemy troops marched towards the nation's capital – like Bashar Assad did when Syria fell to the rebels – stayed.
The then cleanshaven president posted daily updates from Kyiv, urging his countrymen to stay and fight and that they would win as one – and he still does to this day.
bungling forces failed to take Kyiv in the three days they had hoped – and three years on, Ukrainian forces are still fighting hard for their homeland.
Novikov said it's unwavering resilience that has changed the world order.
He argues if had fled to Poland, the world would be watching in horror at Russian troops using as a launching pad to strike Nato countries on the alliance's eastern flank.
Zelenksy's former advisor said: “The president is an example of a resilient leader that the world desperately needs.
“I don't think he not only changed the war, but I think he changed global order because imagine a world where he fled to Poland in February 2022.
“We would have been living in a completely different world and God knows what would have happened.
“Maybe Russia would be sizing up Nato or even attacking Nato by now if it weren't for his decision to stay and for the Ukrainian people's decision to fight to the very end.
“So I think the Ukrainians and President as their collective portrait have changed world history and it's not an estimation.”
Novikov says now bears the scars of years of fierce battles – with every victory unveiling yet more horrors inflicted on Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops.
The former advisor explained how different is in 2025 compared with the politician he first met seven years earlier in 2018.
“He got, you know, ten times more experience than he would have under different circumstances as president,” Novikov said.
“So he's definitely wiser and definitely more scarred because of all the pain and tragedy he had to go through.”
And Russian bombs continue to wreak bloodshed across .
One of and playground in hometown and killed 20 people, including nine children last Friday.
More than 70 were wounded in the .
The children were playing on swings and in a sandbox in a tree-lined part at the time, with bodies strewn across the grass.
The UN Human Rights Office in said it was the deadliest single verified strike harming children since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On the frontlines of , Russia's gains on the battlefield have slowed dramatically in recent months, according to Western intelligence.
But peace seems further away than ever – with dragging his feet on signing any Trump-backed deal on the war.
agreed on an initial proposal for a full 30-ceasefire earlier this month – but this was .
Trump has previously said he was “p***ed off”; with for his lack of willingness to agree to a ceasefire.
The US President took a rare aim at last weekend after in an effort to stall peace talks.
He said: “I was very angry, p***ed off, when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility.”;
