Kyiv is scrambling to up the pressure on its allies for more support in its fight against Moscow following the victory of Donald Trump in this week’s US presidential election. Trump has boasted he could end the conflict within hours and repeatedly criticised American aid to Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine cede swathes more territory in its east and south as a precondition to peace talks, while Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out ceding any land to Moscow in exchange for peace. Ukraine and many in the West fear any settlement that rewards Putin would only embolden the Kremlin leader and lead to more aggression.

“There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions,” Zelensky said, according to a copy of the address provided to AFP by the Ukrainian presidency. “It’s unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all Europe,” he added.

He also blasted some European leaders, without specifying who, of “strongly” pushing Ukraine to compromise. “We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won’t help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse,” Zelensky said.

The head of Russia’s Security Council Sergei Shoigu said the West faced a choice between opening direct talks with Moscow or the continuing “destruction” of Ukraine’s population. “Now, when the situation in the theatre of combat is not in Kyiv’s favour, the West is faced with a choice,” Shoigu said at a meeting with defence officials of other former Soviet states.

Zelensky has previously said that without US aid, Ukraine would lose the war.

Ukrainian media reported that Donetsk region authorities were preparing to announce mandatory evacuations from seven more villages in the region that the Kremlin claimed in 2022 was part of Russia. Moscow’s overnight drone attack on Ukraine damaged buildings in the southern Black Sea city of Odesa where AFP journalists saw residents inspecting destroyed cars and residential buildings as dawn broke.