Putin feels impunity – Zelensky

Zelensky made the statement via social media, Ukrinform reports.

“Many have spoken with Russia at various levels. But none of these talks have brought a reliable peace, or even stopped the war. Unfortunately, Putin feels impunity. Even after all of Russia’s horrific attacks, he is reportedly preparing yet more so-called ‘responses,’” the post says.

It means, that with every new strike, with every delay of diplomacy, Russia is giving the finger to the entire world — to all those who still hesitate to increase pressure on it, the president noted. Yet, it is Russia that should be seeking peace. It is in Moscow that they must begin to feel that war carries a cost, a high cost, and the highest one should be paid by the aggressor, he went on to state.

Zelensky noted that since the beginning of 2025, the Russian army has carried out strikes on Ukraine using almost 27,700 air bombs, almost 11,200 Shaheds, and almost 9,000 strike drones of other types, as well as over 700 missiles, including ballistic ones.

“This is the pace of Russian strikes, and they deliberately set this tempo from the very first days of the full-scale war. Russia has restructured its entire state, society, and economy to be able to kill people in other countries on a massive scale and with impunity,” the president added.

He noted that, if the world reacts weakly to Putin’s threats, he interprets it as a readiness to turn a blind eye to his actions. When he does not feel strength and pressure, but instead senses weakness, he always commits new crimes. He sees such an attitude as silent permission: permission for new atrocities, new strikes, new killings.

“That is why we in Ukraine are so grateful to everyone in the world who is trying to stop this war and stop Russia’s attacks. To everyone who tells the killer that he will be held accountable. To everyone who says Russian missiles and bombs must stop taking innocent lives,” Volodymyr Zelensky stressed.

Russia must bring back peace, the president wrote.

“And today, on the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainian Children Killed by Russian Aggression, we remind the powerful of this world of the facts. If the powerful do not stop Putin, it means they share responsibility with him. And if they want to stop him but cannot, then Putin will no longer see them as powerful,” Zelensky concluded.

As Ukrinform reported, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in particular about Ukrainian attacks on Russian airfields, referring to the conversation as “good” but not one that would lead to immediate peace.