Russia is preparing for another year of war despite ongoing peace talks, Zelenskyy says.
Putin said Russia would achieve its goals either through talks or through war.
LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Russia is preparing for another year of war, even as U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending Moscow’s full-scale invasion continue.
In a national address, Zelenskyy said recent remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin sent clear signals of continued aggression, adding that the comments were directed “not only at us.”
“It is important that our partners see this,” Zelenskyy said. “And not just see it, but respond — especially partners in the United States, where it is often said that Russia supposedly wants to end the war. In reality, very different rhetoric and signals are coming from Russia.”
Zelenskyy also pointed to an upcoming summit in Brussels, where leaders are expected to discuss using roughly $250 billion in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. He said the meeting would be critical to ensuring Moscow understands that continuing the war into next year would be futile.
“The result must be such that Russia feels its desire to continue the war makes no sense, because Ukraine will have support,” he said, emphasizing that the decision rests squarely with Europe.
Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on Thursday morning.
European leaders underscored the importance of Thursday’s meeting, warning that the decisions made could shape the course of the war.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk cautioned that the European Union faced a stark choice: approve funding for Ukraine now or risk “money today or blood tomorrow.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed that message in a post on X, writing, “We have one ultimate goal: peace for Ukraine through strength.”
Zelenskyy later said any funds provided would be used largely to purchase weapons, warning that uncertainty over financing for next year posed a serious risk. “We can’t afford for Ukraine to be left without clarity on funding for the coming year,” he said.
“It’s not only about the frontline, but about Ukraine’s overall ability to fight,” Zelenskyy added, noting that without funding by spring, Ukraine’s drone production could drop several-fold.
He also said further talks between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators are expected in the coming week.
Zelenskyy’s remarks followed comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russian Defense Ministry’s annual meeting on Wednesday. Putin claimed Russian forces had seized and maintained the strategic initiative along the entire front line.
He said Russian troops were steadily advancing and “grinding down” Ukrainian forces, including elite units trained in Western military centers and equipped with modern foreign weapons.
Putin said the goals of what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” would be achieved either through diplomacy or by military means.
“We would prefer to resolve this by eliminating the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy,” Putin said. “But if the other side and its foreign backers refuse to engage in serious negotiations, Russia will pursue the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”
The Russian president again cast Ukraine’s European allies as responsible for prolonging the war, which Moscow launched in February 2022, even as the Kremlin has continued its offensive despite repeated diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire.
“We welcome the progress made in dialogue with the new U.S. administration,” Putin said. “Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the current leadership in most European countries.”
In his remarks Wednesday, Putin went further, deriding European leaders as “little pigs,” and also criticized the pro-Ukraine policies of former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Meanwhile, both Kyiv and Moscow carried out overnight long-range strikes into Thursday.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 82 drones in its latest attack, with 63 either shot down or electronically suppressed. The military said 19 strike drones hit targets across 12 locations.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that six people were injured in a drone strike in the Cherkasy region, while three others were hurt in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted at least 77 Ukrainian drones from Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
ABC News’ Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, Othon Leyva, Tom Soufi Burridge, Guy Davies and Yulia Drozd contributed to this report.
