President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukrainian intelligence has detected signs of an imminent massive Russian strike, urging citizens to remain vigilant and take shelter whenever possible.
Speaking during a media briefing alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Wednesday, Zelensky said Ukraine’s intelligence services have gathered relevant data pointing to the threat.
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“Today I ask our people in Ukraine to be especially careful,” Zelensky said, “to protect themselves, their families, their children, to be sure to use shelters and to heed air raid alert signals across Ukraine.”
He continued: “We know that [Kremlin leader Vladimir] Putin has been preparing a massive strike on Ukraine for some time now. Tonight, this is exactly the threat we face.”
Zelensky said he would return to Ukraine immediately following the briefing.
Visit coincided with EU presidency talks
The warning came during Zelensky’s visit to Ireland, where he met with European Council President António Costa and Martin to coordinate Ukraine’s priorities for Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The leaders discussed practical steps to accelerate Ukraine’s path to full EU membership and coordinated further support for Kyiv, along with additional sanctions pressure on Russia.
“Without Ukraine, without Ukrainian experience and security expertise tested in modern warfare, it is simply impossible today to guarantee security, especially when it comes to air defense and maritime security,” Zelensky said, underlining Ukraine’s importance amid Russia’s hostility against NATO.
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Putin rejects peace efforts, Zelensky says
Despite repeated diplomatic outreach through both official and unofficial channels, including intermediaries close to him, Putin continues to refuse ending the war, rejecting or mocking almost all proposals so far, Zelensky said.
“The leader of Russia absolutely refuses to end the war,” he said, adding that “he sees for himself only continued aggression against Ukraine and against other neighbors and Europe as a whole.”
In early June, Zelensky issued a public letter to Putin demanding a face-to-face meeting to end the war, proposing a bilateral summit hosted by a neutral state. He emphasized that Putin’s war is “a personal choice” and a “war without a real cause” – one that can be stopped at any time.
Putin responded to the letter by dismissing and mocking the possibility of peace negotiations, saying “meeting would be pointless.” The Kremlin added in its response “If Zelensky wants to meet, he can come to Moscow.”
Moscow keeps sending mixed diplomatic signals
Costa’s office confirmed brief diplomatic contacts with Kremlin officials on June 18 aimed at opening communication channels to help advance negotiations toward ending the war in Ukraine, but Kremlin’s stance has remained largely unchanged – closed to substantive peace talks.
On June 23 the Kremlin signaled a rare openness to diplomatic contact with Brussels, with foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov saying Russia is “ready” for dialogue with the EU.
Putin said Russia was ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine based on the 2022 Istanbul framework, while simultaneously calling Kyiv’s leadership a “neo-Nazi” regime, insisting battlefield realities favor Moscow.
Around the same time, Lavrov said Moscow is “ready to resume” negotiations with Ukraine “at any time where they left off,” while dismissing Zelensky’s conditions as “unrealistic,” blaming Western backers for obstructing a possible settlement.
Most recently, Putin said he expects US negotiators to return to Moscow once Washington concludes its involvement in the conflict with Iran, adding that Russia “remains ready to continue negotiations and discuss all the details.” The comment came after Trump’s G7 call for Moscow to “make a deal” with Ukraine.
“The world’s strongest leaders, including the President of the United States, have already told Russia that this war must end,” Zelensky said. “However, Putin wants to keep fighting,” he added.
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