President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia is preparing new offensives in the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions. He emphasized that Russia seeks war, making it crucial not to ease sanctions.
The head of state made this announcement during a meeting of leaders in Paris focused on supporting Ukraine.
“The situation on the front line remains very difficult. Stabilizing the front is a solid foundation for diplomacy. We have managed to stabilize the situation in Donetsk, and we continue operations in Russia’s Kursk region to protect our eastern areas. According to our intelligence, Russia is preparing new offensives in the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions. They are stalling negotiations and trying to drag the U.S. into endless, meaningless discussions about fake ‘conditions’ to buy time and then attempt to seize even more land,” Zelensky said.
He noted that Putin wants to negotiate over territory from a position of strength and is solely focused on war.
“Therefore, our task—all of us—is defense in the broadest sense of the word. That means continuing military aid, but beyond that, we need investments, more joint projects, more joint production, more localization—everything aimed at scaling and developing our defense production, from shells to drones and missiles,” the President stated.
He also urged European partners to maintain sanctions pressure on the aggressor state.
“Russia has broken its promises too many times—we cannot make concessions until they truly change. Sanctions must remain in place as long as aggression and occupation continue. I urge all of you not to lose determination and to work with our other partners to keep the pressure on Russia,” the head of state emphasized.
