‘Putin is paying with 248 people for every kilometre’: Zelenskyy
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that Russia is paying a heavy human cost for its territorial gains in Ukraine, saying Moscow captured just over 1,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory this year.
“After losing so many people, Russia managed to capture just over 1,000 square kilometres of our land this year, and we have already liberated a significant part of it,” Zelenskyy said.
He argued that Russia already controls vast territory of its own and questioned the need for further expansion.
“Russia is a country that already has 17 million square kilometres of its own land without any Ukrainian territory,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “to add another 1,000 square kilometres, Putin is paying with 248 people for every kilometre.”
Zelenskyy also opened his remarks by referring to a social media post by US President Donald Trump calling for an end to the war in Ukraine.
“I do not know a single world leader who would say otherwise … except one man,” Zelenskyy said, before naming Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy also claimed that Putin’s territorial ambitions extend beyond Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, saying Russia wants to seize additional major Ukrainian cities.
“Even our Donetsk region is not enough for him,” Zelenskyy said. “He wants more of our cities – Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro and others.”
He said Russia would ultimately fail to achieve those objectives.
Continuing his remarks, Zelenskyy accused Putin of repeatedly moving back predictions about when Russia would achieve its military objectives in Ukraine.
He referred to claims that Russia would capture the remaining Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk within months.
“This is probably the 17th or 18th time he has made this promise,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s always the same. Just a few more months. And then the deadline moves again.”
The comments came as international efforts continue to seek an end to the war, with the timeline and terms of any potential settlement remaining disputed between Kyiv and Moscow.
