Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky took the stage at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday with a blunt message: Russia’s war has devastated his country’s infrastructure, but Kyiv will not back down.
His speech comes as Washington intensifies diplomatic pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow to end a conflict that has now stretched into its fourth year.
Zelensky addressed global leaders gathered at the annual Munich Security Conference, one of the world’s leading forums on defense and foreign policy.
His remarks followed earlier speeches by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and European leaders pushing for renewed transatlantic unity.
“Not a single power plant in Ukraine has been left undamaged by Russian attacks,” Zelensky said, describing a winter marked by relentless strikes on energy facilities.
Hours before his address, an overnight Russian drone attack on Odesa killed at least one woman and set a residential building ablaze, according to regional officials.
Zelensky Details Battlefield Losses and Drone War
Zelensky claimed Russian forces are paying a steep price for territorial gains.
“The Russian army is losing 156 soldiers for every square kilometre of Ukrainian soil it captures,” he said.
He added that President Vladimir Putin is currently unmoved by the casualties but warned there is a threshold where Moscow may reconsider its strategy.
“Putin is not concerned about this now, but there is a level at which he will start to care,” Zelensky said, calling the Russian leader a “slave to war.”
The Ukrainian president also focused on drone warfare, which has become central to the conflict. He revealed that Ukraine faced roughly 6,000 attack drones in January alone.
“We had to defend against 6000 attack drones, most of them Shahed drones,” he said, referring to Iranian-designed drones widely used by Russia.
Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would scale up production of interceptor drones.
“We will produce enough interceptors to make Shaheds meaningless,” he declared.
He criticized Tehran’s role in supplying drones to Russia.
“The Iranian regime must be stopped immediately,” Zelensky said, arguing that it has already caused global instability.
US Pushes to ‘Revitalise’ Alliance With Europe
Earlier at the conference, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure European allies uneasy about Washington’s shifting tone under President Donald Trump.
“The US and Europe belong together,” Rubio told the gathering.
He dismissed talk of a fractured transatlantic era.
“We do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship,” he said, adding that the United States wants a “reinvigorated alliance.”
During a Q&A session, Rubio admitted uncertainty about Moscow’s commitment to negotiations.
“We don’t know if Russia is serious about ending the war,” he said.
Rubio also criticized the United Nations, saying it has played “virtually no role” in resolving key global conflicts.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged the European Union to activate its mutual defense commitments under Article 42.7 of the EU treaty.
“Mutual defence is not an optional task for the European Union,” she said. “One for all and all for one.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed that call.
“We must build our hard power, because that is the currency of the age,” Starmer said, urging Europe to deter aggression and reduce overreliance on the United States.
Why Munich Matters Now
The war in Ukraine has reshaped Europe’s security landscape since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. NATO allies have increased defense spending, while Kyiv continues to rely heavily on Western military and financial support.
Zelensky’s appearance in Munich signals that Ukraine is pressing for sustained backing even as some Western governments explore diplomatic off-ramps.
At the same time, European leaders appear determined to strengthen their own defense capabilities, partly in response to political uncertainty in Washington.
The stakes are high. Ukraine’s energy grid remains battered. Civilian areas continue to face drone and missile strikes. And diplomatic talks have yet to produce a clear path to peace.
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Is very serious matter oh, for his speech to comes as Washington intensifies diplomatic pressure on both
Honestly, his speech was okay. But this war going on is terribly terrifying, the numbers at which he said Russia looses for each captured area is quite disheartening. I think in the quest for dominance through war, state actors forget it is human life being wasted and put at risk.