The president made the statement in his evening address, describing a meeting with senior Ukrainian military command.
“The meeting included a very detailed report on the front,” said Zelenskyy.
“Special attention was given to Sumy Oblast and events near the border [with Russia there]. I thank our troops for their resilience. The Russians have various plans and intentions—completely insane as always. We are restraining and destroying these killers while defending Sumy.”
Zelenskyy added that the meeting also covered military logistics and domestic defense industry, including foreign funding. He noted that this year’s level of international support for Ukraine is the largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“I’ve also directed that we further enhance our work with partners to invest in our manufacturing and our weaponry,” the president said.
“We are developing a new platform for these [joint] manufacturing initiatives. This is a long-term, systematic effort, and I want to thank every country that is already participating.”
Earlier, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had threatened that Russian forces could capture Sumy City but said he was not currently setting that as a target.