Kyiv: The Ukraine war must be made painful enough to push Russia to peace talks, Ukraine's president urged on Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, speaking at a news conference following a Coalition of the Willing summit in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy put Russia's spending on the continuing war at about £330 billion ($385 billion), compared with £130 billion ($152 billion) by Ukraine. Zelenskyy highlighted that Ukraine has a deficit of approximately £27 billion ($31.5 billion). He emphasized that making the war 'painful' could pressure the Russian public to push President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations.
Zelenskyy stated, "I think this is one of the instruments (of) how to push Putin to negotiations." He noted the need for a competitive number of drones, not just financial resources, as Russia currently possesses double the financial capability.
In his address, Zelenskyy mentioned Russia's efforts to block Ukraine's Black Sea corridor, though a total blockade has not been imposed. He explained, "Today there is no total blockade, there is an attempt at a total blockade, but three to four ships a day enter and leave Greater Odesa, despite the fact that they are attacking the port infrastructure." He also discussed several options being considered to keep the grain corridor open, including potential talks with Russia and strengthening air defenses along the route.
Zelenskyy noted that before the blockade, daily operations with the sea corridor were significantly more active, with volumes three to four times greater than current levels. He announced that Ukraine would receive new military and energy aid packages, including air defense systems and funding for drone production, as a result of the summit.
He further explained, "We are moving in two directions: We are looking for and buying PAC-3 through PURL and other formats, and we are all working to speed up the FREYJA project." French President Emmanuel Macron, who also attended the summit, proposed strengthening efforts against Russia's shadow fleet, with an additional meeting on the issue suggested.
Zelenskyy advocated for regular summits of the Coalition of the Willing, emphasizing the need to avoid long pauses between meetings. He noted that coalition members had already requested another meeting in September. On Monday, leaders of the Coalition of the Willing gathered in Kyiv and via video link to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine's independence.