Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia is expected to draft 300,000 additional soldiers later this year in a push to complete the capture of Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine. The mobilization will take place after Russian parliamentary elections next month and is expected to avoid major cities, he said.
2+Zelenskyy claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his generals to finish capturing Donetsk by the end of the year. “They will lose all 300,000 of the new conscripts there; we will eliminate them,” Zelenskyy said. Ukrainian forces are defending about 20% of Donetsk, including strategic industrial cities.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia has lost 267,000 soldiers since the start of the year, including roughly 155,000 killed. The figure, which cannot be independently verified, aligns with Western estimates. Zelenskyy added that the Russians may also attempt to invade the northern provinces of Kharkiv and Sumy.
2+The Ukrainian president expressed concern over a sharp decline in U.S. Patriot missile deliveries. In 2023, the U.S. supplied 675 missiles, while the forecast for this year stands at just 264, he said. Patriot missiles are the only means of intercepting ballistic missile attacks, which are causing rising civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine faces a similar problem acquiring Aster air defense missiles from Europe, despite a commitment from French President Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, Ukraine is working to locate ballistic missile launch sites inside Russia and has developed an arsenal of drones and long-range cruise missiles to strike targets within Russian territory.
2+Regarding talks to end the war, Zelenskyy estimated the window of opportunity extends until the end of next summer, when the U.S. presidential campaign will begin. He said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are struggling to find a format in which the Russians would agree to end the war without Ukraine withdrawing from Donbas or accepting unacceptable solutions. “Jared, Steve and I agreed to summarize all these discussions on one page—presenting the realistic options for ending the war,” Zelenskyy said, adding that this is the issue the U.S. wants to discuss with Ukraine and with Russia.
Zelenskyy also addressed President Donald Trump’s proposal to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles under license, a proposal Trump later walked back. Additionally, he revealed that Elon Musk, owner of Starlink, refused Kyiv’s request to use satellite imagery of Russian territory, claiming it could lead to significant escalation.