Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the Sumy axis has become one of the most intense battle zones, with 23% of all Russian attacks now concentrated there, UNIAN reports.
Russia’s goal is to occupy Sumy Oblast and move as close to its main city to strike it with tube artillery and then occupy it. The situation is the same in Kharkiv Oblast. Meanwhile, it has doubled its attacks on Ukrainian civilians amid US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts, which mostly consist of pressuring Kyiv. Since the start of his presidency in 2025, no new aid has been approved for Ukraine.
According to him, Russia is pushing in this region to fabricate the illusion of success, which the Kremlin hopes to use as leverage to influence the US policy.
“The Russians want to ‘sell’ success in Sumy and Kharkiv. They desperately need victories on the front. Because without them, we believe President Trump is more likely to pressure them with sanctions,” Zelenskyy says.
The president reported that over 695,000 Russian soldiers are currently deployed in Ukraine, with additional forces massed along the Kursk and Belgorod axes, directly across from Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts.
“That means another contingent on the Sumy axis, about 52,000 troops,” he continues.
Russia is increasingly using guided aerial bombs and North Korean missiles in an attempt to break through Ukrainian defenses. Yet, Zelenskyy noted that Russian advances remain minimal.
“This week, they advanced 200 meters toward Sumy, but we pushed them back by 200 to 400 meters,” he claims.
Also, Zelenskyy emphasizes that Russia is focused on severing US-Ukrainian ties. To achieve this, Moscow is pretending to pursue peace, hoping to delay sanctions and undermine American support. The aid is especially needed for Kyiv amid Russia’s summer offensive in the south, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and potentially Chernihiv oblasts.
“They want to cut America off from Ukraine and stop the aid,” the Ukrainian president stresses.
Meanwhile, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin delivered his most aggressive rhetoric in months, claiming that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people” and that all of Ukraine belongs to Russia. His press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, officially confirmed that Russia does not want a ceasefire.
The Kremlin is showing no intention of retreating, neither on the battlefield nor in negotiations. Russia’s position, Zelenskyy warns, makes it clear: the Kremlin isn’t seeking peace, only territorial expansion.