Russia Zelensky hints at more counterattacks
According to its President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Ukraine must break away from the permanent state of constant defense against Russian attacks and actively go on the offensive itself.
22.08.2025, 03:26
SDA
"This war must end, we must put pressure on Russia," said Zelensky in his evening video address. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin understands "nothing but power and pressure".
The Ukrainian army will continue to protect the country and its people. However, US President Donald Trump is absolutely right that this must not only be done in defense, said the Ukrainian president.
Trump draws comparison to sport
On Thursday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "It is very difficult, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking the invader's country." He also wrote: "It's like a great sports team that has a fantastic defense but is not allowed to play offense. There's no chance of winning." His predecessor in office, Joe Biden, had not allowed Ukraine to strike back.
The Ukrainian armed forces have already launched counterattacks in recent days, for example in the Sumy region in the north-east and near Pokrovsk in the south-east. Initial successes have been achieved near Pokrovsk, army commander Olexander Syrskyi announced on Telegram. Six locations had been recaptured there. The reports could not be independently verified.
However, a major offensive by Ukrainian troops in the summer of last year broke down due to the deeply entrenched Russian defense lines. Russian military forces had previously laid deep minefields in the expected direction of advance and protected them with massive artillery.
Diplomatic efforts also maintained
Selenskyj went on to say that, in addition to military operations, Ukraine also wanted to maintain diplomatic efforts to find ways to negotiate and achieve peace. Among other things, the military leadership is in contact with foreign partners in order to work on the military component of the security guarantees for Ukraine.
There is talk of the European partners securing Ukraine with a troop presence following a peace agreement. However, Russia has other ideas. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the veto powers of the UN Security Council, including Russia, should instead guarantee peace. As Russia could block a mission at any time, this option is out of the question for Kiev.
Selenskyj: Russia not interested in peace
Ukraine has been resisting a Russian invasion for almost three and a half years. Following the Alaska summit on Friday last week, US President Trump, Ukrainian President Zelenskyi and European leaders discussed a peace process for Ukraine on Monday. According to Trump's plans, the next step will be a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Moscow has so far been evasive about this.
Zelenskyi has now accused Moscow of not being interested in peace. "To be honest, the signals from Russia at the moment are simply indecent," he said. "They are trying to wriggle out of the need for a meeting. They don't want to end this war. They are continuing their massive attacks against Ukraine and their very fierce attacks on the front line."
Kallas: Putin not interested in negotiations
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas also accused Putin of not being interested in negotiations. "He has no interest in sitting down at the table. This is all about time," said Kallas on ZDF's "heute journal". "It is clear that the Americans, the Ukrainians and the Europeans want peace. But what we have seen from the Russian side is that they are just playing games and formulating obstacles."
Above all, the issue of security guarantees is essential for lasting peace in Ukraine, Kallas continued. "When it comes to security guarantees, it is clear that these must not just be on paper, but must be credible and robust and actually work, and for this we need all parties to be able to bring these security guarantees to the table."
