Zelenskyy says Putin is 'convinced' that his 'special operation' in Ukraine is going as planned

• Zelenskyy said he's "convinced" Putin believes the Russian invasion of Ukraine is going as planned.
• He made the comments during an interview with BILD, the German-based newspaper.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said Russian President Vladimir Putin is "convinced" that his country's invasion of Ukraine is "going according to plan."

The European leader made the comments during an interview with reporter Paul Ronzheimer at BILD, the German-based newspaper.

Zelenskyy said that he felt as though Putin continued to harbor a sense that things are going smoothly for Russia in Ukraine.

"I think he is convinced that his 'special operation' is going according to plan. I think he has more plans to fire rockets on Ukraine. He is not really interested in the real process of this war," Zelenskyy said.

He continued: "We are the ones who suffer from this process. I told that to our negotiation circle."

Zelenskyy touched on a range of subjects, including his current feelings toward Russia, his thoughts on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the role of the United States as it has implemented a broad array of economic sanctions against Putin, among other topics.

When Zelenskyy was asked how he would react if Putin called him to have direct face-to-face talks, the Ukrainian leader said he would jump at the opportunity to come to a workable agreement.

"We were attacked from Russia and Belarus, and when our delegation was in Turkey, I already said this: When we are offered negotiations, we will take that chance," he said.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have sat down for peace talks in recent weeks, and Zelenskyy last week floated adopting a "neutral status" with Russia in order to stop the conflict. However, such an arrangement would require security guarantees from Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said in recent a Fox News interview that Ukrainians would not accept "any outcome" of the conflict not involving a defeat of Russian forces.

NATO has estimated that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops have died in the nearly two-month conflict, while Ukraine has put the total at 18,900, according to The Guardian.

The Kremlin on Friday said that their official total of Russian troop casualties is 1,351.

BILD is owned by Axel Springer, Insider's parent company.