Ukraine’s President Meets with Intelligence Chief Amid Rising Tensions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met today with the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleh Ivashchenko, who updated him on Russia’s ongoing military exploitation plans in Belarus, reports 24brussels.
Zelensky emphasized the need to keep certain information confidential for the time being. “We will warn partners who may be at risk,” he stated.
During their discussion, Zelensky and Ivashchenko addressed the sanctions that effectively limit Russia’s capacity to continue and expand the war. The president pointed out that both classified and open intelligence data corroborated that increased pressure on Russia would lead to enhanced security assurances for Ukraine.
“Putin’s system cannot withstand the confrontation he has initiated in Russia. Today, we identified key areas for further pressure. I have tasked appropriate countries to collaborate on this,” Zelensky noted.
This Friday, Zelensky is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, along with further engagements with European partners. Their conversation also included critical supply sources to Russia for components and equipment essential for arms production.
“We in Ukraine clearly understand which supplies are most significant for Moscow, and every such scheme needs to be blocked. Our partners have all the necessary capabilities to accomplish this,” he added.
During this year’s military exercises in Russia and Belarus, dubbed “West-2025,” Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed that his military had no plans to invade other countries, calling such actions unrealistic. However, days later, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Service, Andriy Demchenko, confirmed that Russia had withdrawn all forces that participated in the drills from Belarus. Nonetheless, following these exercises, Minsk has repeatedly placed its troops on high alert, indicative of escalating tensions, according to Demchenko.
