In his nightly speech, Zelensky challenged allies to find a solution

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struck a rebellious tone in his speech on Wednesday, accusing Russian forces of trying to hide evidence of war crimes and urging his allies to find a solution – to borrow it if necessary – to crack down on Moscow. .

“Russian troops have changed their tactics and are trying to remove the dead from the roads and basements of the occupied territories,” Mr Zelensky said. They will not succeed in concealing the evidence, he said, “because they have killed a lot. Responsibility cannot be avoided. ”

As he has done many times over the past few weeks, Mr Zelensky has spoken directly to the Russian people, urging them to demand an end to the fighting if Russian troops feel “a little ashamed” of killing civilians in Ukraine.

Mr Jelensky also welcomed new sanctions against Russia by the European Union and the United States, but said his government would insist on a complete international blockade of the Russian banking system and a complete ban on Russian oil imports.

He urged Western allies to continue debating how such measures could be taken without compromising their own economies.

“So people go into politics. To solve such problems, difficult tasks. To resolve them quickly and in a principled fashion, “he said.” If you weren’t capable, you shouldn’t have started your political career. “

Although EU negotiations have so far suggested that an agreement extending sanctions on Russian coal to include oil and gas would be difficult, Mr Zelensky expressed his belief that it was inevitable.

“The only question is how many more Ukrainian men and women the Russian military will have time to kill, so that you, some politicians – and we know you – can borrow a little determination somewhere, “he said.

The European Union was expected to continue talks on the latest round of sanctions on Thursday, which, if approved, would be the most stringent since the attack.