‘No Signals’ Russia Wants to End War, Says Zelenskyy as He Seeks More EU Support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Russia had shown no readiness to end the war, as he sought further European support to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, strengthen air defence and sustain its finances.

Zelenskyy met European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, with discussions also covering Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union.

“Right now, there are no signals from Russia that it is ready to end its war. The signals it is sending point to something entirely different and certainly do not bring peace any closer,” he said in a post on X.

His appeal followed fresh Russian attacks. Zelenskyy said a strike on Kharkiv killed two people and injured 17 after overnight attacks on energy infrastructure. He also reported strikes on a shopping mall in Rivne and energy facilities across four regions.

Calling for stronger European leadership to protect civilians, Zelenskyy said energy security and air defence were immediate priorities.

“We appreciate that everything we agree on is implemented promptly. Today, we discussed further assistance, first and foremost for our energy and air defence needs,” he said.

The leaders also discussed financing for next year and Ukraine’s European integration. Zelenskyy said new negotiating clusters had opened during the week and that Kyiv was working to open the remaining two by the end of the year.

The meeting came as attacks on energy facilities heightened concerns over Ukraine’s electricity supplies ahead of winter.

On October 15, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ending its suspension of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, accusing Moscow of breaching an energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump four days earlier.

“The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” he told the Financial Times, signalling that Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Trump had called on both sides to stop targeting energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy subsequently accused Russia of continuing attacks that damaged Ukrainian facilities and disrupted electricity supplies.

With inputs from ANI