President Zelensky has urged countries to impose more sanctions on Russia in response to a “new wave of terror” following Monday’s attacks on Ukraine.
At least 19 people were killed and many injured in the attack of Russian missiles in different parts of the country.
Defiant, he said the attacks would only “delay our recovery a little”.
After more attacks on Tuesday, Mr Zelenskiy called on the West to find new ways to put political pressure on Russia and support Ukraine.
The calls came after the United Nations G7 group met for emergency virtual talks on Tuesday.
The bloc – which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US – pledged to continue providing financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support to their country “as long as it takes”.
Mr Zelensky said: “There must be a new wave of responsibility for Russia for such a new wave of terrorism – new sanctions, new forms of political pressure and new forms of support for Ukraine”.
“The terrorist state must lose even the thought that a wave of terrorism can bring it anything.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks were in retaliation for Saturday’s bombing of a key bridge linking Russia with Crimea.
Western countries have already imposed sweeping sanctions against Russian businesses, as well as allies of President Putin, since the invasion of Ukraine in February.
This includes removing major Russian banks from SWIFT, the international financial messaging system, and sanctioning more than 1,000 Russian individuals and businesses – including oligarchs.
While the US has banned all imports of Russian oil and gas, the EU is reluctant to do so as it depends on Russia for about 40 percent of its gas needs.
Monday’s missile strikes were the heaviest bombardment since the early days of the war in Ukraine. Several attacks hit Kyiv – the first time the capital has been targeted in months, and previous attacks have not hit the city center.
Urban areas, including a popular park and children’s playground, were affected during the morning rush hour. Infrastructure was destroyed, causing power outages in many neighborhoods.
On Tuesday, President Zelensky said 28 more missiles were fired, 20 of which were shot down. He said that Iranian combat drones were also included in them. JEE News could not confirm this.
“Had it not been for today’s strikes, we would have already restored power supply, water supply and communications that were damaged yesterday by terrorists,” the President said in his night address on Tuesday evening.
“Today, Russia will gain only one additional thing: it will slightly delay our recovery.”
He added that rehabilitation work was taking place “rapidly and effectively” across the country, and that electricity and communications had been restored in most of the towns and villages targeted in Monday’s attacks.
“Everywhere there has been damage, infrastructure will be renewed. Where there was damage, there is already or will be reconstruction,” he said.
On Tuesday, there were also reports of a mass grave being found in the recently liberated Lyman in eastern Donetsk region.
The bodies of more than 50 soldiers and civilians were found in a series of graves, the head of the military administration of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kirilenko, told The Associated Press. They included Ukrainian soldiers buried together in a mass grave, as well as individual graves containing the bodies of civilians.
“We are finding bodies and parts of bodies here,” Mr Kirilenko said.
