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As Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads to Florida for a meeting with his American counterpart Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning in the war that is inching closer to four years. Putin on Saturday accused Ukraine of showing 'little urgency' in ending the conflict through peaceful means.
He went on to warn that Moscow would pursue objectives by military force if the diplomatic efforts failed to yield any constructive results. “If the Kyiv authorities do not want to resolve the matter peacefully, we will accomplish all the tasks before us in the course of the special military operation by military means," Putin was quoted as saying by the TASS News Agency.
The Russian leader added that the "Kyiv regime" remained reluctant to seek a peaceful settlement in the conflict. “We see that even today, unfortunately, the leaders of the Kyiv regime are in no hurry to resolve this conflict peacefully. I spoke about this a year ago in a speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.
Putin's remarks came right after Russia unleashed a massive drone attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, while Zelenskyy was travelling to Florida ahead of his Sunday meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. While Putin is accusing Zelenskyy of prolonging the war, the Ukrainian leader maintained that the latest attack on Kyiv demonstrates Moscow’s lack of intent to end the invasion it launched in February 2022.
Before heading to the United States, Zelenskyy said that Russia had used nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles, in the overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital.
“The primary target is Kyiv – energy facilities and civilian infrastructure,” he said in a post on X. The Ukrainian authorities noted that the intense overnight strikes lasted for 10 hours and killed one person, injuring two dozen others. On Sunday, Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump, who has a plan to end nearly four years of fighting that has killed tens of thousands.
Ahead of his visit, the Ukrainian leader stopped in Canada, where he met the country’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced an additional $2.5bn (£1.85bn) of economic aid for Ukraine. While speaking to reporters, Carney condemned the “barbaric” overnight attack on Kyiv.
He went on to warn that Moscow would pursue objectives by military force if the diplomatic efforts failed to yield any constructive results. “If the Kyiv authorities do not want to resolve the matter peacefully, we will accomplish all the tasks before us in the course of the special military operation by military means," Putin was quoted as saying by the TASS News Agency.
The Russian leader added that the "Kyiv regime" remained reluctant to seek a peaceful settlement in the conflict. “We see that even today, unfortunately, the leaders of the Kyiv regime are in no hurry to resolve this conflict peacefully. I spoke about this a year ago in a speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.
Putin's remarks came right after Russia unleashed a massive drone attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, while Zelenskyy was travelling to Florida ahead of his Sunday meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. While Putin is accusing Zelenskyy of prolonging the war, the Ukrainian leader maintained that the latest attack on Kyiv demonstrates Moscow’s lack of intent to end the invasion it launched in February 2022.
Zelenskyy slams Putin
Before heading to the United States, Zelenskyy said that Russia had used nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles, in the overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital.
“The primary target is Kyiv – energy facilities and civilian infrastructure,” he said in a post on X. The Ukrainian authorities noted that the intense overnight strikes lasted for 10 hours and killed one person, injuring two dozen others. On Sunday, Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump, who has a plan to end nearly four years of fighting that has killed tens of thousands.
Ahead of his visit, the Ukrainian leader stopped in Canada, where he met the country’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced an additional $2.5bn (£1.85bn) of economic aid for Ukraine. While speaking to reporters, Carney condemned the “barbaric” overnight attack on Kyiv.
“We have the conditions, the possibility, for the just and lasting peace,” he said, adding this requires a “willing Russia”. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy also held a video call with his European allies before meeting Trump, as the continent will be watching closely the meeting that is expected to take place at the US President’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said that it had downed 111 Ukrainian drones, in what appeared to be a retaliatory attack. On Saturday, Moscow claimed to have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine, Myrmorod and Guliaipole.
Zelenskyy said that his meeting with Trump in Florida is “specifically intended to refine things as much as we possibly can." Speaking on Friday, he added that a proposed 20-point peace plan was “90% ready”. “Our goal is to bring everything to 100 per cent,” Zelenskyy said. “As of today, our teams – the Ukrainian and American negotiating teams – have made significant progress.”
Following the Saturday strikes, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia’s “only response to peace efforts” was “brutal attacks using hundreds of drones and missiles against Kyiv and other cities and regions”. The minister said that a third of the capital was without heating. The temperature in Kyiv was about 0 °C (32F).
