‘No one cares whether Russia is angry, what matters is ending the war,' says Zelenskyy

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that fears over provoking Russia are irrelevant as Moscow continues to carry out daily deadly attacks, urging the US to take stronger steps toward pressuring the Kremlin for a ceasefire.

“When asked by journalists whether yesterday’s operation might enrage the Russians, I responded that just a day earlier, Russia had launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine -- over 480 drones and missiles,” Zelenskyy said, recalling the strikes that hit civilian infrastructure and residential buildings.

“This happens every single day. Sometimes there’s a short pause, and to be honest, we now call it a ‘pause’ if there’s just no one killed that night,” he wrote on X. “But even then, drones still fly, and people still get wounded.”

He stressed that the so-called pauses only mean fewer attacks than usual, but Ukraine is still facing “dozens of drones and cruise missiles.”

“So no, no one cares whether Russia is angry. What matters is that Russia must move toward ending this war. And as a global community, we must all do what we can to stop them,” Zelenskyy added.

Calling for a more active US role, he said: “We are very much awaiting strong steps from the United States. We hope he (President Trump) will support sanctions and push Putin to stop this war, at least to take the first step toward ending it: a ceasefire.”

Zelenskyy expressed hope that Washington’s pressure could accelerate progress toward halting the war.