Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky answers questions from reporters in Kyiv, Ukraine, 22 December 2025. Photo: EPA / Sergey Dolzhenko
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated on Saturday that his country would continue to defend itself from the Russian invasion even if the ongoing US attempts to end the war in Ukraine ultimately ended in failure.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Saturday evening, Zelensky said that “If Russia blocks all of this — and as I said, it depends on our partners — if our partners do not compel Russia to stop the war, there will be another path: to defend ourselves,” The Guardian reported.
Zelensky was addressing the press following a security summit held in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss the Trump administration’s contentious peace plan. The summit was attended by officials from some 15 countries including the UK, France and Germany, as well as representatives of both NATO and the EU, and — virtually — by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Zelensky also said that he hoped for a leaders’ summit in the US by the end of January to discuss proposals on how to end the war with Russia. Next week, Zelensky said that there would be more talks held during a European leaders’ meeting in Paris, before “a meeting in the United States at the leadership level” by the end of the month.
In a sign of its continued determination to continue defending itself from the four-year Russian invasion, the Office of the President of Ukraine also announced a slew of new sanctions on individuals and entities linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex on Sunday.
The measures, which target 95 individuals and 70 legal entities, most of whom are citizens and residents of Russia, are designed to curb Russia’s capacity to produce weapons and military equipment.
The statement also committed Ukraine to continue working with its partners to align Ukrainian sanctions with those made by its allies, including an expected 20th sanctions package currently being discussed within the EU.
