Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the war with Russia could end sooner than some people think. “I think that we are closer to peace than we think. We just have to be very strong, very strong,” he said.
Speaking to US broadcaster ABC News, Zelensky also said that the victory plan he would present to US President Joe Biden this week would require Ukraine’s allies to “strengthen” the Ukrainian army.
Zelensky said the plan was not about negotiating with Russia, but rather it was “a bridge to a diplomatic way out, to stop the war”.
He added that Ukraine could only push Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict if Kyiv was coming from a “strong position”.
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was being cautious about media reports of a Ukrainian plan and added that the conflict would only end when Russia’s aims were achieved.
Zelensky has long asked Western countries to allow Ukraine to ease restrictions on the use of long-range missiles which could be used to strike deep into Russia and he is expected to do so again this week as he visits the US.
On Sunday, Biden said he had not yet decided whether to give Ukraine the green light. Zelensky said the US would need to lead the decision: “Everybody’s looking up to [Biden], and we need this to defend ourselves,” he told ABC.
Zelensky will speak at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and is also due to meet US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Credit: bbc.com
