Zelensky: Russia aims to erase Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of waging its war on the foundational falsehood that Ukraine does not exist. Speaking at the Four Freedoms Awards ceremony, Zelensky stated, "This is the foundation of their goal — to completely erase Ukraine from the face of the earth. And not only Ukraine." His remarks frame the conflict as an existential struggle for Ukraine's survival against a genocidal Russian ideology. The speech comes amid ongoing heavy fighting and Russian aerial bombardments across the country.