President Zelensky warns 'frozen conflict' will lead to Vladimir Putin returning to Ukraine with 'aggression' - as footage shows wounded Russian troops hobbling into battle on crutches

President Volodymyr Zelensky last nighttime warned that a 'frozen conflict' volition pb to Vladimir Putin's Russian service returning to Ukraine with 'aggression'.

Speaking successful Kyiv, the Ukrainian president told ITV News that immoderate effort to halt the warfare without ironclad information guarantees would lone promote the Russian person to instrumentality and instrumentality what remains of Ukraine.

Zelensky, successful his archetypal large interrogation with a British TV web since Donald Trump's instrumentality to the White House, made wide that his country's aboriginal cannot beryllium decided without Ukraine's agreement.

'A frozen struggle volition pb to Putin coming backmost again with his aggression. Who volition past beryllium receiving prizes? Who volition past marque past arsenic a winner? No one,' the president said.

'That volition beryllium a nonaccomplishment to perfectly everyone – and it is precise important for america arsenic good arsenic for Trump. He needs to not conscionable decorativeness the war, helium needs to marque definite that Putin has nary accidental of coming backmost with a warfare against us. 

'I judge this is the astir important part. Everyone indispensable admit that. Then it volition beryllium a victory.'

It comes aft footage emerged showing injured Russian troops hobbling into conflict wearing protective cogwheel and carrying crutches for enactment arsenic it was revealed much than 1,000 of his men are killed each day. 

Zelensky besides addressed concerns implicit however a imaginable Trump presidency could interaction enactment for Ukraine.

Joe Biden powerfully backed Ukraine, but since taking office, Trump has indicated helium could instrumentality a antithetic attack – including taxes, tariffs, and sanctions connected Russia to unit an extremity to the war.

Yet, the Ukrainian president warned that immoderate rift betwixt Washington and Kyiv would lone payment the Kremlin.

'If determination is simply a confrontation, God forbid, betwixt the Ukrainian basal and the American basal – I don't adjacent privation to deliberation astir it – past Putin is the lone 1 who wins from it,' Zelensky said.

'Putin's triumph is simply a nonaccomplishment for the Western world, some Europe and the United States. And helium volition ne'er stop.

'However agelong [Putin] lives, helium volition beryllium surviving successful the Kremlin. However agelong helium lives, helium volition beryllium taking lives away. He volition transportation connected warring the war.'

Zelensky defended Ukraine's increasing fig of cross-border attacks into Russian territory, including operations successful the Kursk region.

Russia's casualty complaint successful January unsocial is believed to person deed a staggering 48,000 dead, wounded, oregon missing, making it the 2nd bloodiest period of the warfare since Putin's full-scale penetration astir 3 years ago.

Meanwhile, North Korean forces sent to enactment Russia's warfare effort are besides taking dense losses, according to the latest battlefield reports. 

Ukraine's subject has slowed the Russian advance, with reports suggesting Putin's invaders lone managed to summation astir 120 miles of territory successful January - importantly little than successful December.

At the aforesaid time, Kyiv has ramped up its long-range attacks wrong Russia, striking subject targets hundreds of miles down force lines successful an effort to weaken Putin's warfare machine.

The brutal struggle has already near 837,000 Russian soldiers dormant oregon wounded, with reports emerging of crippled troops being patched up and sent consecutive backmost to the beforehand lines connected crutches owed to Moscow's hopeless shortage of fighters.

Ukraine inactive holds territory wrong Russia, peculiarly successful Kursk and occidental Belgorod, portion North Korean troops deployed to assistance Russia are reportedly being wiped retired successful fierce battles.

A Western authoritative said: 'We judge the Ukrainian figures connected Russian losses are credible. The Russians are recycling wounded troops backmost into battle, often connected crutches, arsenic they proceed to instrumentality monolithic casualties.'

Meanwhile, a British unpaid worker is feared to person been killed successful Donbas, Ukraine.

Christopher Walker, 39, a erstwhile Royal Artillery member, went missing aft joining the combat successful 2023. His household and friends are inactive awaiting authoritative confirmation of his fate.  

On Thursday, Zelensky awarded medals to Ukrainian soldiers and acknowledged that holding Russian onshore - adjacent successful tiny amounts - could beryllium a invaluable plus successful immoderate aboriginal negotiations.

'The aggressor and transgression tin and should beryllium fought successful their ain home. The occupier tin and should beryllium confronted connected their ain territory.'

Despite the uncertainty surrounding America's governmental future, Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the continued backing of the UK, EU, and US.

'We person specified friends contiguous successful the satellite due to the fact that of the people. If we suffer that support, we suffer everything,' helium said.

'We request much information guarantees from our partners. But for today, the top information warrant is that we person the enactment of the radical – and I americium arrogant that we person specified relations.'