Kiev, Mar 22 (IANS): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin may deliberately impose unrealistic demands on Kiev because he wants to conquer not only Ukraine but also the Baltic states.

When Zelensky was asked to clarify what he meant when he spoke about the risk of a World War III in the event of a failure to negotiate with Putin, Zelensky said: "This means that he (Putin) was not going to end this war. His plan - in which Ukraine is perceived as an intermediate step to the final result - is to occupy the Baltic states, states that were part of the Soviet Union. (He is considering) other states that used to be under control of the Soviet Army and Soviet Union," Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

"I said that if our talks with him fail, it will be clear that he does not accidentally set such conditions that we could not agree on. So he could say afterwards: they just did not want peace. As soon as it will use - if he does - all his forces on the borders with Europe or NATO, it will be World War III."

Previously, in an interview with CNN on March 20, Zelensky said that Ukraine would not compromise on its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

He also said that if all attempts to negotiate with Russia fail, it could mean that the struggle between the two countries will lead to a "third world war".