Zelenskyy's New Year Address 2026: Ukraine Wants Peace but Will Not Let the Country Be Destroyed

As people around the world welcomed the new year with lights, Ukraine remained dark. Although Ukraine and the United States have had multiple discussions on peace proposals, Russia has continued to conduct air raids on various facilities, including residential homes. On January 1, 2026, Ukrainians had not yet seen peace.

According to AFP, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said on January 1 that Russia intentionally let the war lasting four years cross over into the new year, launching more than 200 attack drones overnight. He stated that the regions of Volyn, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv were attacked, "with the target being our energy infrastructure."

Zelenskyy called out: "The killing must stop, and protecting life must not be interrupted in any way... If attacks continue even during the New Year holiday, then the provision of air defense systems is urgent."

The Ukrainian president also stated that he hopes all agreements reached with the United States at the end of last year for Ukraine's security will be fulfilled as scheduled.

On the previous day, December 31, 2025, Zelenskyy delivered a New Year address to the nation, stating that Ukraine wishes for the war to end, but not at any cost. He would not sign a "weak" peace agreement that would only prolong the war.

According to Reuters, Zelenskyy, wearing a dark green shirt, gave a 21-minute New Year address from his office, with a Christmas tree in the background. He stated that Ukrainians have been physically and mentally exhausted after nearly four years of war, a period longer than when Germany occupied many cities in Ukraine during World War II, but they are not about to give up. Zelenskyy asked himself and answered: "What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes! At any cost? No! We want the war to end, but not at the expense of Ukraine's destruction." "Are we tired? Very tired. Does this mean we are ready to surrender? Anyone who thinks so is completely wrong."

Zelenskyy stated that signing any "weak agreement" would only fuel the war. He said, "My signature will only be on solid agreements. This is the purpose of every meeting, every phone call, and every decision. We aim to achieve a solid peace for everyone, not just one day, one week, or two months, but peace that lasts for many years."

Zelenskyy stated that the diplomatic efforts led by the United States in recent weeks have resulted in an almost-ready peace agreement, including his weekend meeting with U.S. President Trump in Florida. He emphasized, "The peace agreement is 90% ready, with 10% remaining. This 10% includes everything, and this 10% will determine the fate of peace, Ukraine and Europe, and the lives of the people in the future."

It is well known that the biggest disagreement between Ukraine and Russia lies in the issue of territorial control. Zelenskyy clearly warned that although Ukraine is just "ten percent" away from reaching a peace agreement with Russia, the most critical issues remain unresolved, and no agreement should benefit Moscow. Zelenskyy emphasized that any agreement needs strong security guarantees to prevent Russia from invading again. Russian President Putin has demanded full control over the Donbas region in the agreement, but Zelenskyy does not believe that Russia will stop after Ukraine withdraws from Donbas.

President Zelenskyy told the Ukrainian people: When the phrase "withdraw from Donbas, and everything will end" is translated into Ukrainian, English, German, French, and any other language in the world, it sounds like a lie.

In response to Russia's accusation that Ukraine attempted to attack President Putin's residence with drones, Ukrainian and European officials have refuted it, and the Wall Street Journal also cited U.S. officials' statements indicating that the CIA assessed that Putin or his residence was not the target of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Former U.S. President Trump, who once believed Putin's lies, shared an article from the New York Post accusing Russia of hindering peace efforts on social media, and the New York Post is a right-wing pro-Trump American media outlet.

According to Reuters, an anonymous source said that before Trump shared the editorial, he had received a briefing from CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Putin's accusations. The source did not reveal details of Ratcliffe's briefing.

Kurt Volker, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Ukraine special envoy during Trump's previous presidency, stated that Putin does not have the intention to pursue peace or hope for Ukraine's success, as "all evidence points to the opposite."

On the New Year's Day of 2026, Ukrainian drones also attacked Russian energy facilities, namely an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, and an energy storage facility in the Tatarstan autonomous republic, located in the Volga River basin and rich in oil resources, approximately 1,400 kilometers from Ukraine.

Local Russian authorities confirmed that fires broke out at both energy facilities but no casualties were reported.

Kyiv has recently intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure to cut off the funding source for the Russia-Ukraine war.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1853162545123331/

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