Ukraine's "resilience" can weaken Putin's ability to prolong war: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday underscored the importance of resilience in weakening Russias ability to prolong the ongoing war directly linking sustained pressure on Moscow to the prospects for peace in EuropeHighlighting endurance as a strategic factor Zelenskyy said in a post on X If we know and if Putin knows that we can stay resilient then his reason to dragout this war becomes much weaker framing resilience as a tool that alters the aggressors calculations and affects the overall trajectory of the conflictIf we know ndash and if Putin knows ndash that we can stay resilient then his reason to dragout this war becomes much weaker This is how pressure on the aggressor should work ndash pressure that brings peace Thank you to everyone leading Europe in this direction Europe must be strongmdash Volodymyr Zelenskyy ZelenskyyUa December 18 2025Building on this the Ukrainian President described resilience as a form of pressure intended to change Russias approach to the war This is how pressure on the aggressor should work pressure that brings peace he said situating Ukraines resolve within a broader strategy to deter further escalationIn a broader European context Zelenskyy acknowledged the role of continental leadership in sustaining such pressure Thank you to everyone leading Europe in this direction he said underlining the importance of coordinated political and strategic backing in maintaining a united stanceReiterating the theme of unity Zelenskyy emphasised the need for a firm European posture amid the prolonged conflict Europe must be strong he said reinforcing his message that collective resolve remains central to countering Russian aggressionLinking this call for European strength to developments on the ground Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine has received indications suggesting Russia is preparing to continue the war into the coming year raising concerns about Moscows longterm intentionsElaborating on this assessment in another post on X Zelenskyy said Today we again heard signals from Moscow that they are preparing to make next year a year of war These signals are not only for us He stressed that it is crucial for Ukraines partners to recognise and respond to these signals especially partners in the United States who often say that Russia wants to end the warDrawing attention to what he described as a contradiction between Russias public messaging and its actions Zelenskyy said the signals coming from Russia are the exact opposite taking the form of official orders to their army warning that such an approach could be used to undermine diplomacyWhen Russia is in this mindset it will also undermine diplomacy seeking through diplomatic language and pressure over specific points in documents to merely mask its desire to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainians and the desire to legitimise Russias theft of our land he saidExtending this warning beyond Ukraine Zelenskyy cautioned that such thinking could threaten other parts of Europe as well And then come other countries in Europe which someone in Russia might one day label their socalled historical lands he addedIn this context Zelenskyy called for continued protection and assistance from Ukraines partners including security and financial support Real protection is needed against this Russian case history of madness and we will continue working with all partners to ensure that protection is in place he saidDetailing the support required he added Security measures are needed financial measures are needed including actions on Russian assets political measures are needed And the courage of all partners is required to see the truth acknowledge the truth and act accordinglyZelenskyy also expressed appreciation for international backing saying I want to thank everyone who supports UkraineEarlier on Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would achieve its objectives and rejected the idea of war with the West as the European Union considers seizing Russian funds to support Ukraine with the conflict now entering its fourth winter Al Jazeera reportedDuring a highlevel meeting with Ministry of Defence officials Putin was quoted by state media as describing calls in the West to prepare for war with Russia as hysteria and a lie while asserting that the Kremlins war goals will undoubtedly be achieved according to Al JazeeraPutin also claimed that 300 territories were liberated over the past year as per the report even as Russia and Ukraine have escalated strikes on each others energy infrastructure and oil refineries in recent weeksThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever