"Putin will be more tempted to seize us". Zelenskyy says he will be without a reparations loan

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if Kyiv does not receive a reparations loan from Russia's frozen assets, it will be in a weaker position. In this case, the dictator Vladimir Putin will have a greater "temptation" to seize Ukraine and will not want a diplomatic end to the war, the head of state said during a conversation with journalists.

The president was asked what Ukraine would do if the European Union did not agree to use Russia's frozen assets to support Kyiv.

"Look: what will Europe do? And this is a serious question. And what will the United States do? Why am I talking about this? This means that if Ukraine does not have such money, it is in a weaker position, and Putin is tempted to seize us, because we are in a position where we do not have enough money to live and to buy weapons," the president replied.

According to Zelenskyy, in such a situation, the Russian dictator will realize that Ukraine will be weaker and more vulnerable: "And it is absolutely clear that he will definitely not want a diplomatic track, he will definitely not want any diplomacy, any dialogue. What will everyone else do?"

The head of state was also asked whether he still believes in a diplomatic path to end the war after new points by Putin, and what the partners should do to make "diplomacy work".

Zelenskyy agreed that any war ends in negotiations, adding that it is important for Ukraine that this happens as soon as possible, which means that Kyiv must be in a strong position.

"In a strong position – Russia must understand that we are in a strong position. This is not only our internal strong moral position. It's Russia that needs to see that, for example, the decision on the reparations loan means that Ukraine will be provided with money for 2026-2027. This is a signal to Russia that Ukraine will not fall. It will not fall simply because of a lack of funding for weapons, social assistance, etc. Therefore, such things are important," the president explained.

Second, he added, it is necessary to limit Russian energy exports. The head of state believes that it is necessary not only to talk about the sanctions policy in relation to energy, but "we need to tighten the energy screws on the Russians as much as possible.

"It doesn't work any other way. It is necessary to dry up and reduce the Russian economy through the sanctions ban so that they do not spend this money on the war. If Ukraine has stable funding and Russia has decreasing funding – of course, I'm not comparing, these are different amounts, but nevertheless – then this is certainly a signal for Russia to move to the diplomatic track," Zelenskyy summarized.

UPDATED. The president said that Ukraine will significantly reduce the production of drones, in particular for the front line, and will not be able to launch long-range strikes on the Russian energy sector if in the spring of 2026 will not receive money from the reparations loan.

• on December 18, the EU leaders' summit started in Brussels, where arrived and the Ukrainian leader.
• European Commission president von der Leyen said that the summit will last until EU leaders decide on funding for Ukraine – we are talking about eUR 90 billion for two years.
• Zelenskyy also believes that Russia will not be able to continue fighting with the same intensity as before, if sanctions are imposed.