Zelenskiy Warns of New Russian Mass Attack, Rules Out Sanctions Relief
Zelenskiy says intelligence indicates Russia is preparing a new mass attack on Ukraine and rejects any easing of sanctions while attacks continue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia is preparing a new large-scale attack on Ukraine, citing fresh intelligence, and argued that sanctions relief is unthinkable while Ukrainians face daily missile and drone strikes.
In comments published on Telegram, Zelenskiy said he was in constant contact with allies about obtaining additional anti-aircraft defences. He wrote that "there's intelligence right now that Russia is preparing a new massive attack against Ukraine," and that easing sanctions could not be discussed while the country lives under the threat of bombardment.
The remarks followed a meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Russian forces have carried out large overnight drone and missile attacks for months, but have shifted tactics in recent weeks by launching sustained barrages throughout the day. Moscow has also deployed jet-powered drones that fly at higher altitudes and are harder for air defences to intercept, disrupting businesses, government operations and daily life on a wider scale than earlier in the war, now in its fourth and a half year.
While in New York, Zelenskiy discussed efforts to end the war with U.S. President Donald Trump, including a possible bilateral ceasefire covering energy-related targets.
On the battlefield, Russian troops are advancing slowly through eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, though the front line has changed little over many months. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, are conducting air strikes on Russian targets, many in the oil sector, at sites as far as 3,000 km from Ukraine's border.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in New York, Zelenskiy said Russian President Vladimir Putin was neither winning nor losing the war but felt no obligation to hold direct negotiations. "The situation on the battlefield is not successful for Putin. He is not winning, it is true. And he is not losing, it is also true, because for him human losses are not to lose ... but his society is losing people," Zelenskiy said. "He doesn't feel that he has to stop."