Overview

• Speaking at a Helsinki Accords commemoration on August 2, Zelensky demanded regime change in Moscow.
• He warned that without new leadership, Russia would continue to destabilize its neighbors even after any ceasefire.
• Zelensky urged Western governments to confiscate, rather than freeze, frozen Russian assets to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses.
• Putin countered that Russia’s government is constitutional and questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy under martial law.
• The standoff is deepening as Western capitals weigh further measures and Russia keeps up missile and drone strikes on Ukraine.