Russia eyes Odesa before possible push towards Moldova, Romania — Zelenskyy

He said this at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit.

"We are here today, in our beautiful city, Odesa. This beautiful city is a target for Russia. Russia wants to destroy it, as it has already done with countless cities and villages in the occupied territories. Russian military plans point to this region, Odesa, and then to the border with Moldova, Romania," the president noted.

Zelenskyy emphasized that the region is one of Moscow's main goals for creating chaos.

"We have seen this before in the Balkans, where Russia fueled ethnic conflicts, sabotage, and even attempted coups. We have witnessed attempts to manipulate public opinion in Romania with Moscow's involvement. For three decades, Russia has been trying to keep Moldova in poverty and instability in order to take it under its full control. If Europe loses in Moldova this year, it will encourage Russia to interfere even more in the affairs of your countries, taking away your resources, your sovereignty, even your history," he continued.

The Ukrainian leader emphasized that Kyiv currently needs protection and long-term security guarantees. 

"Of course, we need protection, everything, even more - we need long-term guarantees that this can never happen again. That is why I ask all of you to treat security guarantees after this war as a practical necessity. From air defense to cyber threats, we need real tools for deterrence and rapid response," Zelenskyy stated.

• On the evening of June 9, the Russian army launched Shahed-type drones at the territory of Ukraine. There are reports of deaths, injuries, and significant destruction in Odesa and Kyiv.