Zelenskyy warns of Russian attack: Dublin press conference on EU Council Presidency

Already the day before, Ruslan Martsinkiv, the mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk, had alerted the population to a possible major Russian attack on the night leading into Wednesday. Zelenskyy once again called on people in Ukraine to take air raid alarms seriously and seek shelter.

Warning to the Ukrainian population

According to the Ukrainian president, Russia carries out massive attacks every one to two weeks, deploying hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles of various types. He provided no information on specific targets or the timing of the expected strike.

Zelenskyy used his appearance in the Irish capital to make political demands of the EU. He called for sanctions against Russia to be expanded and for an even more determined stance to be taken toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Putin will den Krieg fortsetzen. Deshalb muss er mit Bedingungen konfrontiert werden, die es ihm unmöglich machen, diesen Krieg weiterzuführen", Zelenskyy said.

Demand for tougher sanctions

The Ukrainian president sharply criticized business opportunities for Russian oligarchs in Europe. He pointed to companies in European countries "whose sole purpose is to work for Russia." These firms, which are owned by or under the de facto control of sanctioned Russian oligarchs, "continue to supply the aggressor with essential materials, even now."

Zelenskyy specifically addressed the controversial exports of alumina from a plant in Ireland's County Limerick to Russia. Alumina is a raw material for aluminum production and is also of great importance to the defense industry. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin stated that his country did not want "to be in a position where material from a factory in Ireland supports the Russian war machine."

Dispute over alumina exports from Ireland

Zelenskyy was measured in his response to the indictment related to the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The German Federal Prosecutor General's Office (Generalbundesanwaltschaft) has, according to its own statements, for the first time brought charges against a suspected participant, including for causing an explosion and destruction of structures. The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court (Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht) in Hamburg must now decide on the admissibility of the indictment.

Measured reaction to the Nord Stream indictment

The Ukrainian president declined to comment substantively on the proceedings. "Wenn wir mehr Details erhalten, dann können wir sicherlich reagieren. Derzeit ist es noch zu früh, etwas dazu zu sagen", Zelenskyy said. Ukraine has so far rejected any responsibility for the Nord Stream attacks.

The indictment in Hamburg comes at a time when the war in Ukraine continues and the discussion about Western economic relations with Russia persists. The Ukrainian president therefore explicitly links his warning of a new large-scale attack with the demand for a more decisive European foreign and economic policy course.

With his visit to Dublin, Zelenskyy also underscored the importance of the upcoming Irish EU Council Presidency for the continued support of Ukraine. He made clear that he expects concrete steps from Ireland and the other EU states to cut off Russian revenue sources in Europe and to continue military and humanitarian assistance to his country.