Russia preparing for another year of war despite peace talks, Zelenskyy says

(LONDON) — LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address on Wednesday that Russia is preparing “the coming year as a year of war,” despite ongoing U.S.-brokered peace talks to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin sent “signals” of Moscow’s aggressive intent in remarks made on Wednesday, saying the bellicose comments were intended “not only for us.”

“It is important that partners see this,” Zelenskyy added. “And it is important that they not only see it, but also respond, in particular partners in the United States of America, who often say that Russia supposedly wants to end the war. But entirely different rhetoric and different signals are coming from Russia.”

Zelenskyy said an upcoming summit in Brussels to discuss the use of some $250 billion worth of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine was “important,” and that the outcome of the talks “must be such that Russia feels that its desire to continue the war next year makes no sense, because Ukraine will have support. This depends one hundred percent on Europe, it is Europe that must make this choice.”

Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on Thursday morning.

European leader stressed the significance of Thursday’s meeting.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that either the European Union would agree on “money [for Ukraine] today or blood tomorrow.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post to X, “We have one ultimate goal: peace for Ukraine through strength.”

Zelenskyy later said Ukraine would use any funds “mostly for weapons.” He added, “We can’t afford that Ukraine remains without the answer as for the funding for the next year, it’s a big threat.”

“It’s not just about the frontline but about Ukraine’s overall ability to fight,” Zelenskyy said. “If Ukraine doesn’t receive the money in spring the scale of drone production will decrease several-fold.”

Zelenskyy also said that more talks are expected between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators in the coming week.

Zelenskyy’s comments were prompted by remarks made by Putin at the Russian Defense Ministry’s annual meeting on Wednesday, where the Russian leader claimed that his forces had “gained and firmly holds the strategic initiative across the entire front line.” 

Putina added that Russian troops were “confidently advancing and ‘grinding down’ the enemy, its groups and reserves, including the so-called elite units and formations trained in Western military centers and equipped with modern foreign technology and weapons.”

Putin said the objectives of what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” will be achieved either through diplomacy or through military force.

“We preferred to do this and eliminate the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy,” Putin said. “If the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive talks, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”

The Russian president again sought to frame Ukraine’s European partners as being responsible for the elongation of the war, which Moscow launched in February 2022. The Kremlin has continued to wage its war despite multiple rounds of diplomacy aimed at securing a ceasefire.

“We welcome the progress that has been made in the dialogue with the new U.S. administration,” Putin said. “Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the current leadership of most European countries.”

Putin even referred to European leaders as “little pigs” in his Wednesday comments, and was also critical of the pro-Ukraine policies of former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Meanwhile, both Kyiv and Moscow continued their long-range strikes overnight into Thursday.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 82 drones into the country in its latest barrage, of which 63 were shot down or suppressed. Nineteen strike drones impacted across 12 locations, the air force said.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said six people were injured by a drone strike in the ️Cherkasy region, as were three people in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces downed at least 77 Ukrainian drones from Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

ABC News’ Oleksiy Pshemyskiy, Othon Leyva, Tom Soufi Burridge, Guy Davies and Yulia Drozd contributed to this report. 

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