Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to ‘win this war’ after accusing Vladimir Putin of breaking his own ceasefire proposals with deadly strikes just hours after the Kremlin agreed to halt its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
In a press conference with President Stubb of Finland in Helsinki today, the Ukrainian president said: ‘We’re fighting for our sovereignty and our independence — we’ll win this war.’
Zelensky drew clear red lines for peace, insisting that his nation would not accept territorial losses as part of a peace deal, and that the return of ‘thousands’ of prisoners held in Russia was ‘unconditional’.
He also revealed that he will speak with Donald Trump later today to discuss the upcoming peace talks in Saudi Arabia this weekend. It is believed to be the first time the pair will have spoken since the disastrous clash at the White House late last month.
‘Today I will have contact with President Trump and we will discuss the next steps,’ he told an audience in the Finnish capital today.
The talks come at a sensitive time, with Ukraine accusing Russia of having attacked energy infrastructure just hours after agreeing to a partial ceasefire with Donald Trump.
While the Kremlin declined to sign up to a month-long ceasefire plan hashed out between Trump administration officials and Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia, it did agree to stop attacks on crucial infrastructure.
Volodymyr Zelensky at today’s press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki
