Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a stark warning that his country cannot achieve victory against Russia without continued military and financial support from the United States. The statement comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to intensify efforts to seize full control of Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Zelenskyy's Plea and Kremlin 'Lies'
Speaking after a two-hour meeting with former US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, Zelenskyy described the conflict's critical dependency on American assistance. "Can we win without American support? No," he told Fox News, outlining the severe difficulties a withdrawal of US backing would pose. He later characterised the talks with Trump as productive.
Zelenskyy also forcefully dismissed Kremlin claims that Ukrainian forces had attempted a drone strike on Vladimir Putin's residence. He labelled the accusation "typical Russian lies" designed to sabotage diplomatic efforts and justify further attacks on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. "This alleged 'residence strike' story is a complete fabrication," the President stated, accusing Moscow of refusing to take genuine steps towards peace.
Putin's Command: The Push for Zaporizhzhia
On Monday, in a televised meeting at the Kremlin with top military officials, Putin directed the Russian army to press forward with its campaign to fully capture the Zaporizhzhia region. This command followed a report from Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, who informed Putin that Russian forces are now within 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) of the region's largest city, also named Zaporizhzhia.
Russia currently controls approximately 75% of the wider Zaporizhzhia province, one of four Ukrainian regions it illegally annexed in 2022. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported that Russian forces are advancing along nearly the entire frontline, while Kyiv's troops are focused on defence and limited counterattacks. These battlefield reports have not been independently verified.
Strategic Realities and Nuclear Plant Repairs
Amid the renewed offensive, Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, asserted that the West must recognise Moscow holds the strategic initiative. "Our principled position remains unchanged. The strategic initiative rests wholly with the Russian army and the west understands this," Lavrov told state news agency RIA, urging Ukraine and its allies to accept the "realities on the ground."
In a positive development, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that repairs to a power line near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have been successfully completed. The work was carried out under a local ceasefire brokered by the IAEA and monitored by its team on the ground.
Meanwhile, in the occupied city of Mariupol, a historic theatre destroyed by a Russian airstrike in 2022—an attack that killed hundreds of civilians sheltering inside—has reopened. Moscow-installed authorities held a gala concert on the building's new stage. Mariupol's exiled Ukrainian city council condemned the event as "singing and dancing on bones."
