Zelenskiy says Putin wants to weaken Ukrainian resistance with air strikes

Kyiv: Russian leader Vladimir Putin is trying to weaken Ukrainian resistance with an escalation in air strikes against the capital Kyiv and other cities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.

"They strike bridges - do they really think we will not respond? I am simply astonished by this animalistic desire to escalate the situation every day," Zelenskiy told a news conference, alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

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"Putin wants to weaken Ukraine's resilience as much as possible," Zelenskiy added, noting Russia was trying to get residents to leave Ukraine's major cities.

U.S. peace envoys are trying to organise a trilateral, technical-level meeting by the end of October, Zelenskiy added, saying that Ukraine was open to gathering in the UAE or other countries.