Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s partners should exert more pressure on Moscow “so that the Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression”. (Photos: Express/ AP) Ahead of US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting in Florida on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a warning and said that Ukraine doesn’t seem to be in a hurry for peace and if Kyiv doesn’t want to resolve their conflict peacefully, Moscow would move ahead and accomplish all its goals by force.
The comments by Putin, which were published by state news agency TASS on Saturday, followed a massive drone and missile attack launched by Russian forces which forced Zelenskyy to state that the Kremlin was demonstrating its desire to continue the war while Kyiv was looking towards a peaceful resolution, Reuters reported.
Zelenskyy, who is set to meet Trump in Florida on Sunday around 11:30am (IST), wrote on his Telegram app account ahead of the meeting that Kyiv was doing everything to end the nearly four-year-old war that Russia started when it invaded Kyiv but that securing peace would depend on its partners.
“These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year, and much can be resolved before the New Year, and we are doing everything for this, but whether there will be decisions depends on the partners,” Zelenskyy said.
These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year. We are doing everything toward this, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners – those who help Ukraine, and those who put pressure on Russia so… pic.twitter.com/GuKwkBM0Nr
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 28, 2025
He added that Ukraine’s partners should exert more pressure on Moscow “so that the Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression”.
Informing about the regions that have been captured by the Russian forces, the Kremlin in a post on Telegram stated Russian commanders have told Putin that the towns of Myrnohrad, Rodynske and Artemivka in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, as well as Huliaipole and Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhzhia region have been captured.
Story continues below this ad
However, the Ukrainian military has rejected the statements made by the Kremlin regarding capturing Huliaipole and Myrnohrad. The situation in both places remains “difficult” but “defensive operations” by Ukrainian troops are ongoing, said General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Reuters reported.
(with inputs from Reuters)
