Zelenskyy responds to Putin’s threats to continue war against Ukraine

"Today we heard from Moscow further signals that they are preparing next year to be a year of war. And these signals are not only for us. It is important that our partners see this. And it is important that they not only see it but also respond — especially our partners in the United States of America, who often claim that Russia supposedly wants to end the war," said the president.

He drew attention to the fact that such a mindset in Russia must be recognized and responded to. Otherwise, the Russians will undermine diplomacy, attempting through various diplomatic formulations and pressures on certain points in documents to "mask their desire to destroy Ukraine and the Ukrainian people."

"Next — other countries in Europe, which someone in Russia might one day claim as their so-called 'historical lands.' We need real protection against this Russian history of madness, and right now we will continue working with all partners to ensure that such protection is truly in place," the president noted.

Zelenskyy called on partners for concrete security measures, financial actions — particularly regarding Russian assets — and political decisions.

"And it requires the courage of all our partners to see the truth, acknowledge the truth, and act accordingly. I want to thank everyone who supports Ukraine and our efforts to achieve security in exactly this way," he added.

What Putin said

Today, December 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would "achieve its goals" in the invasion.

He added that if the "root causes of the conflict" are not addressed through diplomacy, Russia would "secure the liberation of its historical lands by military means."

The Kremlin leader also claimed that by the end of the year, Russia supposedly plans to deploy the intermediate-range ballistic missile Oreshnik.