Ukraine vows to expand strikes on Russia amid stalled diplomacy

Ukraine’s top military commander, General Oleksandr Syrsky, pledged to expand the "scale and depth" of Ukrainian strikes on Russia, insisting they will continue targeting only military infrastructure.

Speaking on June 22, Syrsky called the strikes “effective” and stressed Ukraine’s intention to stay on the offensive. “We will not just sit in defense. That leads to losses in both personnel and territory,” he said.

His remarks came amid a pause in peace talks—no direct negotiations have occurred in nearly three weeks, and no new talks are scheduled.

Syrsky also acknowledged that Russia holds an edge in drone warfare, particularly with fiber-optic drones that are hard to jam. “Unfortunately, they have the advantage in both numbers and operational range,” he admitted.

He claimed Ukrainian forces still maintain control of 90 square kilometers in Russia’s Kursk region, calling it a “preemptive action” against possible Russian offensives. Moscow denies Ukraine’s presence there and asserted in April it had full control of the region.

Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea and four regions it claims to have annexed since its 2022 invasion.

Zelensky: Western Companies Supplying Russia with Military Equipment

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in separate remarks on June 21, accused firms in Germany, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. of indirectly aiding Russia’s war effort by supplying machine tools used in weapons manufacturing.

Zelensky said most of the suppliers are Chinese companies but emphasized that dozens of Western firms also bear responsibility. “We have shared all this information with our partners and are urging sanctions against these companies,” he said.

The Czech Republic responded by expressing willingness to review the evidence provided. “Czechia continues working to minimize sanctions circumvention,” said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky through a spokesperson.