Zelenskyy made the comment in his evening address, alluding to recent indications that the war in Gaza might soon end with a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
“It is entirely justified that we respond with targeted strikes on facilities inside Russia,” the president said about Kyiv’s air strike campaign aimed at Russian oil refineries.
“Unlike Russia, we know what we want to achieve—peace. We do not wage war for the sake of war as Russia does. Even Hamas has demonstrated a capacity to negotiate, but not Putin. Not yet.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine and its partners are creating the conditions to compel Russia to seek peace.
“We support every global diplomatic effort toward peace in the Middle East, and we strongly believe that sustained, justified pressure on Russia will bring peace for Ukraine and the entire region,” he added.
“It is vital that U.S. leadership continues to carry this forward.”
He also spoke about improvements in Ukraine’s domestic missile program.
“We have been working nonstop to expand production, secure financing, and provide all necessary support,” said Zelenskyy.
“We must also scale up their deployment. We have clear plans for the coming months, and everything must be implemented.”