Cyprus News Agency

In an interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to stop the war against Ukraine. Zelensky noted that Putin fears pressure from US President Donald Trump and the United States, adding: “Therefore he appears to want to negotiate but in reality only presents ultimatums to Ukraine. However, this will not curb his appetite.”

Zelensky also said that the situation around Iran has provided additional gains for Putin and that any easing of sanctions against Russia would also be an advantage for the Kremlin leader. According to Ukrainian intelligence, in 2026 Russia has suffered losses exceeding 100 billion dollars this year alone due to US and EU sanctions and deep strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, Zelensky stated that Russia has earned about 10 billion dollars in the past two weeks from the war in the Middle East.

In the interview Zelensky said that Russia had planned to launch a major offensive at the end of last year and intended to continue it this spring. He emphasized that a major Russian offensive was prevented thanks to Ukrainian counterattacks, largely made possible by drone technologies. Zelensky said: “Thanks to drones Russia has started losing 30-35 thousand soldiers every month. Both FPV and other types of drones have been very effective.”

Zelensky also stated that countries in the Middle East and US bases need new air defense technologies and that the anti-drone systems provided by Ukraine are important. “The war in the Middle East is not a ground war but an air war. Therefore a large number of air defense systems are needed. The US uses its own air force, but we have provided the technology we have to close the sky,” he said.

Zelensky added that Ukraine’s drone technology and air defense expertise are particularly requested by countries in the Middle East.