Intelligence shows Russia planning new offensive operations in Ukraine, Zelensky says
Russia is "preparing new offensive operations" in its full-scale war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 26, following an intelligence briefing.
Kyiv has previously warned about the threat of a new major Russian offensive targeting Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts this spring and summer. While Russia has made only minimal territorial gains at the cost of heavy losses over the last several months, Moscow has doubled down on its maximalist objectives in recent peace talks.
Ukrainian intelligence reports confirm that Russia is not seriously interested in a peace settlement, Zelensky said in his evening address on May 26.
"We can see from the information that our intelligence is gathering and from open data that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his entourage have no plans to end the war — there is no evidence that they are seriously considering peace and that they are seriously considering diplomacy," he said.
"On the contrary, there is a lot of evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations."
The intelligence agencies of Ukraine's allies have likely seen the same evidence, Zelensky said. He urged partner nations to apply "appropriate joint pressure" on Moscow in response.
Read also: Ukraine's front-line pressure and risks of Russia's summer offensive
Zelensky's latest remarks come after three nights of relentless Russian aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities — launched while the Kremlin drags its feet in delivering the terms of its proposed "memorandum" on a possible future peace settlement.
The memorandum was Putin's counteroffer after he again rejected a ceasefire in a two-hour phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19. Russia has still not delivered the document presenting its settlement terms.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would only submit the draft "settlement document" after Ukraine and Russia concluded their 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange. The swap was completed on May 25.
Zelensky called attention to Russia's delay in submitting the memorandum.
"They have spent more than a week on this," he said. "They talk a lot about diplomacy. But when in the midst of this, there are constant Russian strikes, constant killings, constant assaults, and preparations for new offensives, this is definitely a diagnosis. Russia deserves full-scale pressure — everything that can be done to limit their military capabilities."
According to Zelensky, Russia launched over 900 strike drones over the last three days, in addition to cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine is looking to increase its production of interceptor drones and direct additional funding to developing its ballistic missile program, he said.
Officials and experts told the Washington Post (WP) on May 24 that Russia likely lacks the military capability to mount an offensive that could successfully break Ukraine's lines. The decline in Russia's military advantage could make coordinated Western pressure on the Kremlin more effective, officials said.
Zelensky urged the U.S. and Europe to enact "new and strong sanctions" against Moscow to force Putin to accept a ceasefire and show "respect" for the diplomatic process.
While Trump criticized Putin after the latest round of large-scale attacks, the U.S. president has a history of failing to follow through on threats of sanctions against Russia.
Read also: Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Debunking Putin's 'root causes' claims
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