President Zelenskyy: War ends only when Russia is exhausted
Shafaq News – Kyiv / Moscow
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s war cannot be halted through negotiations or partial concessions, but only by exhausting Moscow’s economic and military resources.
Speaking at the annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) 2025 conference in Kyiv, he emphasized, “This war will not stop if someone simply asks for it. It will end when the aggressor has nothing left to continue it.”
Zelenskyy called for sustained international pressure, including sanctions, restrictions on Russian exports, and continued military support for Ukraine, arguing that these are the only measures capable of forcing Moscow to abandon its goal of occupying the country.
The comments came amid increased NATO activity after Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace earlier this week, prompting consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s treaty.
Overnight, Ukraine and Russia exchanged heavy attacks. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 85 Ukrainian drones across several regions, including Kursk (26), Tula (19), Lipetsk (11), and Kaliningrad (15).
Russian forces also claimed control of the village of Novomykolaivka in Ukraine’s southeastern Kherson region.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces said they recorded 184 clashes in the past 24 hours, reporting Russian losses of 634 troops, two tanks, 12 artillery systems, a multiple rocket launcher, 137 drones, and 54 vehicles.
A Ukrainian drone strike on the northwestern Russian port of Primorsk forced the suspension of loading operations at the Baltic oil terminal for the first time, according to the Ukrainian military.
Meanwhile, Romania’s Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu confirmed on X that a Russian drone breached Romanian airspace during an attack on Ukrainian infrastructure, adding, “Two F-16s from the 86th Air Base scrambled and tracked it until it disappeared near Chilia Veche.”
Today, the Romanian Air Force intercepted a Russian drone violating our national airspace.Two F-16s from the 86th Air Base scrambled and tracked it until it disappeared near Chilia Veche. The population was never in danger.Romania condemns Russia’s reckless behavior, which…
— Ionut Mosteanu (@IonutMosteanu) September 13, 2025
