Ukraine's Zelenskiy says only more pressure can persuade Russia to end war

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warns that Russia’s latest mass attack shows no intention of ending the war, urging stronger international pressure and significant losses to push Moscow toward peace.

Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar/Reuters

March 25, 2026

Ukraine's Zelenskiy says only more pressure can persuade Russia to end war

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (not pictured) and European Council President Antonio Costa (not pictured) on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 24, 2026.

Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, after a mass attack on Ukrainian cities, that only additional pressure and significant losses would persuade Moscow to end the four-year-old war against Ukraine.

"The scale of this attack clearly shows that Russia has no real intention of ending this war," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"Without additional and strong pressure on Russia, without tangible losses for them there in Moscow, no desire will develop to move away from the war or return to peace."

-Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar/Reuters