Russia will escalate the war ahead of winter unless international partners increase pressure on it, including by implementing US sanctions and strengthening European Union sanctions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“In recent days, Ukraine has openly informed its partners during our meetings: Russia will only escalate ahead of winter if there is no pressure. For diplomacy to work, US sanctions must be implemented and European sanctions strengthened. Our partners hold the keys to peace — through strength. The Russians must understand that they will not be able to simply wait this out and that the war must be brought to an end,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Friday.
He also expressed condolences to the family and loved ones of a 14-year-old boy who was killed when a Russian drone struck a residential apartment building in Kyiv.
“An absolutely brutal and sickening attack, devoid of any military logic,” the president said.
According to Zelensky, eight regions had come under attack since the beginning of the day. One person was killed in Odesa in a repeated strike on a postal terminal, while people were injured in attacks in the Sumy and Mykolaiv regions.
Russian forces also struck a medical clinic in Zaporizhzhia while people were inside, he said.
