ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Wednesday that Russia must begin to understand that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine "carries a cost," reiterating Kyiv's calls for additional sanctions against Russia.

In a statement on X, Zelenskyy said many people have spoken with Russia at various levels, but none of these talks have resulted in a "reliable peace" or stopped the conflict, which has been going on for more than three years.

“Unfortunately, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin feels impunity. Even after all of Russia’s horrific attacks, he is reportedly preparing yet more so-called ‘responses,’” Zelenskyy said, referring to his counterpart's remarks during a phone call with US President Donald Trump just a few hours ago.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he discussed recent drone attacks by Ukraine on Russia with Putin in a phone call that lasted “approximately one hour and 15 minutes,” noting that the Russian president told him "very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields."

Kyiv claimed to have hit 41 Russian strategic bombers in an "unprecedented and unique special operation" on Sunday, which involved drone strikes that targeted military airfields in multiple parts of Russia, including the Siberian region of Irkutsk.

“It means that with every new strike, with every delay of diplomacy, Russia is giving the finger to the entire world — to all those who still hesitate to increase pressure on it.

“Yet, it is Russia that should be seeking peace. It is in Moscow that they must begin to feel that war carries a cost, a high cost, and the highest one should be paid by the aggressor,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president argued that Putin would interpret the lack of a strong reaction to his remarks as a “readiness to turn a blind eye to his actions,” claiming his Russian counterpart sees such an approach as “silent permission” to continue the Ukraine war.

“If the powerful do not stop Putin, it means they share responsibility with him. And if they want to stop him but cannot, then Putin will no longer see them as powerful,” he added.