‘No one cares’: Volodymyr Zelensky dismisses Russian ‘anger’ after daring Ukrainian operation

The raid, codenamed Operation Spider’s Web, took 18 months to plan and execute. Ukraine smuggled drones across the Russian border, hidden in trucks, which then drove to the sites of military bases. One penetrated as far as Siberia, more than 4000 kilometres away from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

At a co-ordinated moment, the trucks released their drones, which then attacked while being controlled remotely. Ukraine claims to have wiped out a third of Russia’s strategic bombers, a heavy blow to the capabilities of Putin’s air force.

Ukraine pulled off the extraordinary operation with near-total secrecy, and all its operatives successfully made it back across the border. Even the United States, whose intelligence and military aid have been vital throughout the war, was not warned beforehand.

Russia has yet to justify concerns that it might escalate its own violence in response, though Russian-affiliated social media accounts have been sharing ominous quotes, supposedly from Putin himself.

The statement in question, repeated verbatim by dozens of accounts, is unattributed and unverified, but may signal the stance of Russian state media.

“They proved that there can be no peaceful solution. They have prepared their own end with this action, there is no more red line, they will regret what they did,” it reads.

Mr Zelensky brushed aside worries about an escalation while speaking to reporters today.

“When asked by journalists whether yesterday’s operation might enrage the Russians, I responded that just a day earlier, Russia had launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, with over 480 drones and missiles,” Mr Zelensky said.

“They struck civilian infrastructure, residential buildings. There were casualties, people killed and injured. This happens every single day.

“Sometimes there’s a short pause, and to be honest, we now call it a ‘pause’ if there’s just no one killed that night. But even then, drones still fly, and people still get wounded. We are still talking about dozens of drones and cruise missiles.

“So no, no one cares whether Russia is angry. What matters is that Russia must move towards ending this war. And as a global community, we must do all we can to stop them.”

Mr Zelensky prodded the Trump administration, saying Ukraine is “very much awaiting strong steps from the United States”.

“We hope (Donald Trump) will support sanctions and push Putin to stop this war, or at least to take the first step towards ending it: a ceasefire,” he said.

“These are critical things.”

Preliminary talks between Ukraine and Russia, which had been scheduled before Ukraine’s operation, went ahead in Istanbul, Turkey as planned overnight.

Mr Zelensky claimed the Russian officials sent to Istanbul “behaved more calmly” and “modestly” than before – implying the attack had humbled them, somewhat.

However the talks delivered little substantive progress.

Both sides did agree to exchange prisoners, in an agreement covering all sick and heavily wounded POWs, as well as those under the age of 25. But Russia is still rejecting Ukraine’s concerted push for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

Russia did offer a truce of two or three days across some of the war’s frontline. As a condition for a full ceasefire, it demanded that Ukrainian troops withdraw entirely from four regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – which it partially occupies.

Putin’s representatives did also hand over a memorandum, which they framed as a blueprint for a “lasting peace”, though neither side has released details of what’s in it. Ukraine said it would take a week to consider the contents.

“The Russian side continued to reject the motion of an unconditional ceasefire,” Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya told reporters after the talks.

Russia said it had offered a limited pause in fighting.

“We have proposed a specific ceasefire for two to three days in certain areas of the front line,” top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said, adding that this was needed to collect the bodies of dead soldiers from the battlefield.

“I was told the delegation behaved more calmly than before. But the arrogance? Well, it is what it is,” Mr Zelensky said afterwards.

“These arrogant people acted a little more modestly. Maybe a few more events like this are needed so that everyone will start behaving like decent human beings.”

He did, however, accuse Putin of “playing games” with the talks.

“The key to lasting peace is clear, the aggressor must not receive any reward for war.”

Meanwhile Mr Trump, who appears to have lost patience with the peace process having promised, during last year’s US election campaign, to end the war within a day of taking office, today said he was “open” to meeting with both Mr Zelensky and Putin in Turkey, should the opportunity arise.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed that Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky and Putin come together later this month in either Istanbul or Ankara.

Putin has thus far refused such a meeting. But Mr Zelensky has said he is willing to do it, underlining that key issues can only be resolved at that level, given Putin’s unilateral decision-making power in Russia.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump “is open to it, if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together”.

– with AFP