Vladimir Putin is trying to buy time and is preparing for a new offensive, in particular in Sumy and Kharkiv regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"I can also confirm that Putin is trying to buy time and is preparing for a spring offensive. We see preparations for this upcoming operation. We have shared intelligence with our allies. We must look at the situation with wide eyes. Putin is preparing a new offensive, in particular in Sumy and Kharkiv regions," Zelenskyy said in an interview with Le Figaro.

He noted that Putin already wanted to launch this operation eight months ago, but was prevented from doing so by the Kursk operation, so now Putin needs time.