Zelensky says UK will keep raising sanctions pressure on Russia after calls with allies

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United Kingdom will continue to increase sanctions pressure on Russia in response to its escalation, following a phone call with the British prime minister on 10 October. He also spoke with the prime ministers of Norway and Poland over the weekend, pressing each for support as Russian strikes on Ukraine intensified.

The accounts of all three calls come from Zelensky's official Telegram channel. No new aid packages or specific commitments were announced in them, and the partner governments' own readouts were not available at the time of writing.

United Kingdom: sanctions and air defence

Zelensky called his conversation with the UK prime minister on 10 October "very good and timely". He thanked the prime minister for British support and for condolences to Ukrainians who lost loved ones in Russian attacks.

He said he briefed the prime minister on strikes that continued "all day without stopping" on several Ukrainian cities, involving glide bombs, Shahed attack drones and ballistic missiles. "Air defence, of course, is the first priority," he wrote, adding that real decisions are needed to protect lives in Ukraine and to support joint European security efforts.

"The fact that Great Britain will continue to strengthen sanctions pressure on Russia because of its escalation matters," Zelensky said. The two leaders also discussed what could help diplomacy work, and said they are preparing "the right joint steps and a meeting". He gave no details or dates.

Norway: "new steps" needed

Earlier on 10 October, Zelensky spoke with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. He thanked him and Norwegians for their support and said the present moment calls for new steps, so that Russia does not get the impression it can "break the world" and continue the war indefinitely.

Zelensky said he told Støre about that day's Russian attacks, which he described as "very vile strikes" that had lasted all day. He thanked Norway for its readiness to help. The two sides will keep coordinating and are preparing meetings and joint decisions, he said, without elaborating.

Poland: coordination before Brussels talks

On 11 October Zelensky spoke with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Poland is a neighbour and one of Ukraine's main logistical hubs for Western support. Zelensky thanked Tusk for what he called Warsaw's "full understanding of the security situation and all existing threats".

They discussed what could strengthen Ukraine's position and its ability to defend itself, and Zelensky briefed Tusk on Ukraine's defence needs. He said there is now significantly more shelling and significantly more Russian destabilising activity, and called Poland's positions strong.

The two leaders are also coordinating diplomatic activity ahead of EU-level meetings in Brussels, Zelensky said. He did not say when the meetings will take place or what is expected to be decided.

Context

The calls came amid a day of heavy Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. Separately, Zelensky has offered to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries if Russia stops attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and said 23 people were killed in a strike on Zaporizhzhia. Those claims are covered in a separate RealUA report.

The details of the planned meetings and joint decisions mentioned in the readouts have not been made public.