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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s growing long-range pressure on Russia is increasing the number of Russians who want the war to end, while stressing that he has no illusions about any broader change in Russian public attitudes toward Ukraine, UATV English reports.
Responding to a question from FREEДОМ correspondent Oleh Borysov about Ukraine’s strategy of increasing pressure on Russia and whether the Kremlin seeks to end the war, Zelenskyy said the impact of Ukrainian operations is becoming increasingly visible.
“Thanks to our actions, more and more Russians want the war to end,” the president said.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s strikes are creating shortages in Russia’s energy sector and reducing the resources available to finance the war.
“Our main goal is to reduce the amount of money Russia spends on the war, and we see that it is working,” he said.
At the same time, the president emphasized that Russia continues to respond with intensified missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.
“We must not allow Russia to make us get used to the war. We increase the pressure, and they respond with new aggressive attacks,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that he does not believe Russian society has fundamentally changed its attitude toward Ukraine.
“I have no illusions. The number of people who respect us has not increased. I do not believe that,” he said.
Separately, commenting on public protests in Ukraine during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy said the demonstrations show that Ukraine remains a democratic country despite the ongoing war.
“I see, hear, and take into account what society says. Ukrainians have the right to express their position,” the president said.
He added that while the government remains transparent with its citizens, certain information cannot be discussed publicly during wartime.
“We have no secrets from society. We have secrets from Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
