Zelenskyy Condemns Russian Drone Strikes, Says US Briefed Him on Moscow Meetings
Zelenskyy condemns Russian drone attacks, says US informed him of Moscow meetings, and urges faster interceptor production.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday condemned fresh Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and said Washington had briefed him on recent meetings held in Moscow.
Speaking in his daily address, Zelenskyy said the US side had shared information about the talks, which took place over the past few days. He expressed gratitude for the update and for what he described as a coordinated approach, adding that Washington was promoting a realistic vision of the path forward.
"Russia must end its war, and we must create all the conditions necessary for that to happen," he said.
Zelenskyy accused Moscow of adopting a tactic of escalating terror, pointing to near-continuous air raid alerts and Shahed drone strikes targeting Kyiv and other regions, including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, and Kherson. He noted that civilian enterprises in the Kyiv region had been damaged.
The president called for a significant acceleration in the production of interceptors specifically designed to counter Shahed drones, saying Ukraine's deep strikes were intended to make Russia feel greater responsibility for continuing the war.
On the naval front, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had achieved its goal of blocking the port of Novorossiysk, with no ships entering or leaving. He said Kyiv would find ways to block other Russian ports as well, adding, "We did not start this war, and we are responding to Russian actions entirely fairly."
He also argued that peace could have been achieved long ago, but that Moscow's leadership was not interested. He cited falling Russian exports, fuel shortages, and disrupted logistics, warning that Russia would suffer even greater losses if it refused to engage in proper talks to end the conflict.