Zelenskyy after third night in row of Russian terror: US and Europe must show strength

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United States and Europe to demonstrate strength towards Russia to force it to cease fire.

In a statement issued on Monday following a large-scale Russian attack, Zelenskyy emphasised that only strength, not dialogue, can stop the aggressor.

"Russian forces have used the highest number of drones against our cities and communities since the start of the full-scale war – 355 attack drones, most of them are Shahed types. There were also nine cruise missiles," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. 

Zelenskyy stated that the strikes targeted infrastructure and injured civilians in several oblasts – from Chernihiv to Khmelnytskyi, from Kharkiv to Odesa. This marked the third night in a row of combined drone and missile attacks, which the president believes stem from a sense of total impunity.

"There is no significant military purpose in this, but there is significant political meaning. Putin is demonstrating his contempt for the world, which is putting more effort into ‘dialogue’ with him than into pressure.

Like any criminal, Russia can only be restrained through strength. Only through strength – the strength of the United States, the strength of Europe, the strength of all nations that respect life – can we achieve a complete halt to these strikes and real peace," he added. 

Zelenskyy called on the international community not to delay its response: to increase sanctions pressure, strengthen the blockade of Russia’s financial flows and oil exports. "Russia must end this war. And to make that happen, their desire to fight must be deprived of resources," the president stressed.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that on the night of 25-26 May, air defence forces shot down 9 cruise missiles and 288 Russian UAVs.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he is considering imposing additional sanctions against Russia in a statement condemning the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Trump also criticised the Ukrainian president, saying that Zelenskyy does Ukraine no favours by saying what he says.

Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy complained that America’s silence and that of other countries only encourages Putin to launch further attacks.