THE President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky rejected today, Tuesday, any possibility of negotiation with “arrogant” Russia, despite the difficulties faced by the Ukrainian army at the front and the increasing pressure from the Russian armed forces.

“Today, such a thing is not useful. I don’t see any request from Russia. I don’t see it in their actions. I see only arrogance and death in their rhetoric,” the Ukrainian president said at his annual press conference.

Zelensky noted that prisoner exchanges continue, but at a slower pace due to specific reasons from the Russian side, and expressed hope that they will soon increase.

Referring to reports of a rift with chief of the armed forces Valery Zaluzny because the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive this summer failed to recapture significant territory, Zelensky dismissed them, noting that he has a “collaborative relationship” with the general. He described the military operations as “a complex story” involving all of Ukraine’s military leadership collectively, and argued that the summer counteroffensive “was difficult in the south” because “everyone was discussing what our plans are.”

Zelensky also said his country aims to build one million drones by 2024. Ukraine has been trying to boost its domestic defense industry since the start of the war in February 2022.