President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says President Vladimir Putin’s goals go way beyond its invasion of Ukraine and the current attacks on the country.

“The ultimate goal of Russia’s leadership is not just to seize the territory of Ukraine. It wants to dismember the entire centre and east of Europe and deliver a global blow to democracy,” Mr Zelenskyy claimed in his video message, published on Telegram.

The Ukrainian president added, “In the free world, practically everyone has understood that the invasion of Ukraine is only the beginning. The continued attacks on Ukraine, for example, in the Odessa region in the south of the country or the Donbas in the east, would only bring Russia ‘new losses’. These would result in a new EU sanctions package or more trade restrictions.”

The Ukrainian president added that most Russians would have to pay for Mr Putin’s government’s aggressive policies with poverty.

(dpa/NAN)