Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Vladimir Putin is “a slave to war” during his address at the Munich Security Conference, arguing Moscow is willing to sustain heavy battlefield losses to maintain territorial gains in Ukraine.
Highlighting the cost of continued fighting, Zelenskyy said Russian forces lost roughly 65,000 troops in December 2025 and January 2026, adding the Kremlin now pays “156 soldiers for every kilometre” of occupied territory.
Zelenskyy said these losses demonstrate the scale of the war and reinforce Ukraine’s call for binding security guarantees, stronger European defence cooperation, and continued backing from NATO and the United States, stating Ukraine’s army is “the strongest army in Europe”.
Turning to diplomacy, Zelenskyy addressed upcoming US-brokered peace talks in Geneva, saying, “We truly hope that the trilateral meetings next week will be serious, substantive, helpful for all of us,” but added negotiations often focus on Ukrainian concessions “not Russia”. He acknowledged pressure from Donald Trump, while expressing hope Europe will play a larger role following earlier talks in Abu Dhabi that produced no major breakthrough.
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