Zelenskyy’s Press Conference: Russia’s Losses, Donbas, International Meetings, and a Peace Signal

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined front-line threats, identified areas of potential enemy offensives, compared losses, reaffirmed Ukraine’s stance on Donbas, and addressed international talks, including Moscow’s signals of a possible ceasefire.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the redeployment of Russian troops from the Sumy sector to the Zaporizhzhia and Pokrovsk directions. According to him, the primary axes where Russia is currently preparing offensive operations are Zaporizhzhia, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka. The anticipated timeframe for these attacks is between September and November of this year.

The head of state also provided updated figures on losses sustained by both sides over the past 24 hours. According to him, the ratio of personnel losses stands at 1 to 3 in Ukraine’s favor. Russian forces lost 968 servicemen, including 531 killed, 428 wounded, and 9 taken prisoner. Ukrainian forces lost 340 servicemen: 18 killed, 243 wounded, and 79 reported missing.

The President reaffirmed that Ukraine will not relinquish Donbas. He explained that for Russia, the region serves as a springboard for further offensives, and a withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine would open a path for the enemy to reach Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kharkiv regions within a few years.

“We will not leave Donbas. For the Russians, it is a springboard for a future offensive. If we abandon Donbas, we will trigger a third war. In a few years, Putin will have a direct route to Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kharkiv,” Zelenskyy stressed.

The President emphasized that he is not prepared to discuss territorial issues by telephone and considers Russia’s current proposals to be aimed merely at suspending offensive actions rather than achieving a genuine resolution. He underscored the importance of European participation in the negotiations, noting that, at present, only European countries provide Ukraine with both security and financial guarantees.

“The presence of Europe at the negotiations is essential, because so far no one except Europe has given us security guarantees — even in financial terms,” he said.

Zelenskyy also outlined the potential negotiation format: two bilateral meetings followed by a trilateral meeting, which, in his view, could yield concrete results.

Separately, the President commented on the planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump, describing it as a political win for Putin. He noted that this development enables the Kremlin to break out of international isolation, gain symbolic political support through “a photograph with an American politician,” and potentially influence the postponement of sanctions.

“I believe Putin has already gained an advantage from this meeting — he needs a photograph with Trump. First, the meeting will take place on U.S. territory. Second, this allows him to emerge from international isolation, as he is being hosted on American soil. Third, the very fact of this meeting will, in some way, delay the sanctions policy,” the President stated.

At the same time, the head of state reported that Ukraine had received a signal from Svyatoslav Witkoff indicating Russia’s readiness either to end the war or, at the very least, to implement a ceasefire. According to Zelenskyy, this is the first such signal from the Russian Federation.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during the planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, no decisions regarding Ukraine will be made without its direct participation. He emphasized that the format of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” remains Kyiv’s principled position, and key issues of peace will be resolved only in a trilateral format.

We would like to remind you that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are waging fierce battles in the Dobropillya and Pokrovsk directions, stopping the advance of the enemy, who has concentrated over 110 thousand soldiers. Despite numerous attempts by Russian sabotage groups to break deep into the Ukrainian defense, the defenders are successfully destroying and blocking the enemy, achieving the first results.

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