In one of his most extensive and revealing interviews since the start of the Russian invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky told The Guardian that the military situation is the most encouraging for Ukraine in two and a half years.
“We cannot say that Russia is losing the war. But we can say that it is losing the initiative every day,” he said.
According to Zelensky, Russia is losing more than 30,000 troops each month, of whom 23,000 to 24,000 are killed and the rest seriously wounded. “These are huge numbers. That means they are not winning the war,” he stressed.
Despite the stalemate at the front, Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities are intensifying. In one of the most severe attacks last Tuesday, 73 missiles and 656 drones were used, killing 18 people in Kyiv and Dnipro, including a three-year-old child.
At the same time, long-range Ukrainian drones are increasingly striking Russian territory, including St Petersburg, Putin’s birthplace, and critical supply infrastructure in Crimea, leading to serious fuel shortages on the peninsula. The aim, Zelensky explained, is not only military but also psychological: “The goal is for them to feel what war means.”
His reference to a secret meeting in May in Kyiv with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was equally revealing. During it, he made clear that Ukraine will not abandon Donbas, while also describing divisions within Moscow: “I think there are different people around Putin. Half want the war to continue. The other half want it to stop.”
On Russia’s business elite, he was blunt: “Russia’s economy is very close to collapse.”
Before returning to Kyiv, Zelensky held trilateral talks in London with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, reiterating his call for European cooperation in air defence.
He urged European allies to jointly develop an alternative to US Patriot systems, offering Ukraine’s drone expertise in return. “NATO is interested. This is invaluable knowledge. There is a huge volume of data,” he said.
On his return, Zelensky said he had a “very positive discussion” with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, expressing gratitude for their readiness to work actively in the coming weeks towards ending the war. He also mentioned possible contacts on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Évian, noting that the US had made a “positive assessment of Ukraine’s positions.”
