Zelenskyy: Russia is losing the initiative each day

In a wide-ranging interview in London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the war with Russia is slowly turning in Kyiv’s favor. More than four years after the full-scale invasion, he described the military situation as the most promising it has been for Ukraine in two and a half years. “We can’t say Russia is losing this war,” Zelenskyy told the Guardian. “But we can say they are losing the initiative each day, day by day.” The president pointed to a series of recent setbacks for the Kremlin. Long-range Ukrainian drones struck oil terminals in St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin’s home city, sending smoke over the skyline. Similar attacks have crippled occupied Crimea. A key supply road there is now littered with burning lorries and tankers, causing severe fuel shortages on the peninsula seized by Russia in 2014. Zelenskyy also discussed Donald Trump, King Charles, and Kyiv’s willingness to share its experience in drone warfare with Western allies. He appeared upbeat, despite the ongoing conflict.