Sumy is near Kursk, where Ukrainian forces had held on to a pocket of territory for months before coming close to being forced out. “Today, their largest, strongest forces are on the Kursk front,” Zelenskyy said, with Russia’s goal being to drive Ukrainian forces further back and to start even larger attacks in the Sumy area.

Russia’s Goal of a Buffer Zone and Ukraine’s Strategy
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he wants to create a buffer up to 10km into Ukraine. Russia, in the last few weeks, has taken at least four border villages in this area and inching forward near Kostiantynivka on the eastern front. But Zelenskyy said Ukrainian fighters on Saturday managed to repel Russian troops by 4 km in the area in the past 48 hours.

Despite the war, Zelenskyy said, Ukraine is willing to sit down for a new round of peace negotiations “in any format.” He said that he would be open to three-way summit the U.S. and President Trump with Putin. He also stressed that Ukraine appreciates U.S. participation in the peace process and does not wish for Washington to pull out.

Prospects for Diplomacy and Military Aid
Earlier meetings, including one in Istanbul, brought about prisoner exchanges but no formal ceasefire. Zelenskyy also cited Turkey, Vatican and Switzerland as potential sites for future talks and interest from Malta and some African countries. But he turned his nose up at Belarus, which he said had played a role in helping to facilitate Russia’s invasion in 2022.

In diplomacy, Zelenskyy said he will take part in the G7 summit at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and will participate in the next EU summit. He also appealed for $30 billion to help Ukraine’s fast-expanding arms production sector fully cover its needs in 2025, an investment he said “underscores that Ukraine is serious about building its defenses against continued Russian threats.”