(Bloomberg) — Russia’s war in Ukraine, nearing its 1,000th day, must be brought to an end in 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview aired on Saturday.
“We, from our side, must do everything so that next year, this war ends by diplomatic means. This is very important,” Zelenskiy told “Suspilne” radio.
Ukraine’s leader said he expects that new US administration, led by President-elect Donald Trump, may help to conclude the war quickly, without offering specifics.
Trump, who takes office in January, has said he’d seek a quick deal between Kyiv and Moscow to end the war, but hasn’t spelled out any terms he has in mind including what would happen, for example, to Ukrainian territory occupied by Kremlin forces since 2022.
“This is their approach, their promise to their society, it is also very important to them,” Zelenskiy said said in an excerpt of the interview that was released on Friday.
Kyiv, though, won’t enter into negotiations or peace talks from a weak position, Zelenskiy said, adding that Ukraine should not be “left alone with the Russian Federation” to craft a solution to the conflict.
“For us, the victory means a strong Ukraine. Whether that’s in diplomacy or on the battlefield is another question. But we have already proved that ‘sit and listen’ rhetoric does not work with us,” Zelenskiy said.
Ukraine’s leader repeated his assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in long negotiations in order to break his isolation, without the intention to reach a deal beyond Ukraine’s total surrender.
“Sitting, talking and agreeing on nothing – this is what is beneficial for Putin,” Zelenskiy said.
As pressure mounts to bring hostilities to an end, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Putin on Friday, urging the Russian leader to enter talks with Ukraine.
In a video address to the nation late Friday, Zelenskiy criticized the call — the first direct communication between the leaders in almost two years — as “exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time” to chip away at Moscow’s isolation on the world stage.
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