Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday Russia was preparing to wage a new “year of war” on his country in 2026, after his counterpart Vladimir Putin said Moscow would “certainly” achieve its objectives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Wednesday that Russia is preparing for another “year of war” in 2026, following remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin asserting that Moscow would “certainly” accomplish its objectives.
“In today’s statements from Moscow, we received yet another signal that they are planning to make next year a year of war,” Zelenskyy said during his regular evening address.
His comments came after Putin told a meeting with defence ministry officials in Moscow that Russia would achieve its aims in the Ukraine campaign, including taking control of territories it claims as its own. The Russian president used the Kremlin’s term for the conflict, describing it as a “special military operation” that has now entered its fourth year.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
“We would prefer to do this and eliminate the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy,” he said, vowing to seize the Ukrainian lands Russia claims to have annexed “by military means” if “the opposing country and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions.”
Putin’s hawkish comments come as Ukraine on Monday hailed “progress” made on the question of future security guarantees for Kyiv, after two days of talks with US President Donald Trump’s envoys in Berlin.
But according to Zelensky, differences remain on the question of what territories Ukraine would have to cede to Russia.
Washington’s initial proposal – criticised by Ukraine and its allies as overly favourable