This week’s escalation has prompted several warnings from other world leaders about the direction of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the war was entering a decisive phase with a real risk of global conflict.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the West should take Vladimir Putin’s warnings at face value because Russia “bases its policy primarily on military power.”
And in North Korea Chairman Kim Jong-un warned that “the threat of nuclear war has never been greater,” and accused the United States of having an “aggressive and hostile” policy toward North Korea.
North Korea has sent thousands of troops to fight on Russia’s side, and Ukraine’s military has reported clashes with North Korean forces in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces occupy some territory.
U.S. President Biden said he had authorized Ukraine to use long-range Atacoms missiles against targets inside Russia in response to Moscow’s deployment of North Korean troops.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both countries are currently trying to gain a battlefield advantage before Donald Trump becomes US president in January.
President Trump promised to end the war within hours but did not specify how.
Zelenskyy also criticized China’s response to Moscow’s new missiles in a nighttime address after the Chinese Foreign Ministry said all parties should “remain calm and exercise restraint.”
“In Russia, this is a mockery of the positions of China, countries in the global South and some leaders who call for restraint at every turn,” he said.
He also criticized Ukraine’s parliament for adjourning its session on Friday due to security concerns following the Dnipro attack.
In a post on Telegram, he said everyone should work as normal unless there is an airstrike signal and that Russian threats should not be taken as “granting a day off.”
“When the sirens sound, we go to shelter. When there are no sirens, we work and serve. There is no other way to go to war,” he said.
