Zelensky says Russia is preparing new offensive in Ukraine’s Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to buy time as Russian forces prepare for a new offensive in Ukraine’s Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the “Coalition of the Willing” summit in Paris on Thursday.

Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence has information indicating that Russia is planning a spring offensive and that Kyiv has shared those findings with its allies.

According to him, Russia had originally intended to launch the operation eight months ago, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces disrupted those plans with a military operation in Russia’s Kursk region.

“[Russia is] dragging out the talks and trying to get the U.S. stuck in endless, pointless discussions about fake ‘conditions’ just to buy time and then try to grab more land,” Zelensky said.

He also announced that France and the United Kingdom would represent Europe in future negotiations aimed at ending the war — a decision reached during the Paris summit.

Zelensky added that the United States continues to change the terms of a proposed agreement on mineral resources, and that officials from both countries are still working on the deal. Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak previously said the latest draft includes provisions on oil and gas across all of Ukraine’s territory.

The “Coalition of the Willing” summit took place in Paris on March 27, with Ukraine and its allies in attendance.