Zelenskyy: Moscow preparing to expand war to other countries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday accused Russia of seeking excuses to prolong the war in Ukraine and warned that Moscow could be preparing to expand its military activities to other countries.

In his daily address, Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to avoid peace negotiations and showed no genuine willingness to bring the conflict to an end.

"Clearly, the Russians are not preparing to end the war - at least not right now," Zelenskyy said.

He accused Putin of repeatedly finding excuses to avoid direct meetings and trilateral talks, saying Moscow's approach to negotiations had remained unchanged for years.

Zelenskyy said Washington shared Ukraine's assessment of Russia's intentions.

"The US assesses the situation similarly, and Russia needs to develop a willingness to spend money not on death, but on something else," he said.

Zelenskyy also warned that intelligence reports suggested Russia could be planning to extend its military activities beyond Ukraine, potentially targeting other countries or regions.