Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is working on a “comprehensive plan” for how Kiev sees the end of the war with Russia.
Speaking to reporters in Kiev alongside Slovenia’s president, Natasha Pirc Musar, he said: “We don’t want to prolong this war.”
“We must reach a just peace as soon as possible. We talked about the situation on the battlefield, especially in the Kharkiv region where Russia tried to launch a large-scale offensive. The invaders did not achieve this. Our Ukrainian forces have stabilized the situation and stopped the offensive, which was difficult. We will continue to do the same to disabuse Russia of the illusion that it can achieve something with this war,” he was quoted as saying.
The focus of Zelensky’s meeting with Pirc Musar was to discuss preparations for a second international peace summit, following a two-day event earlier this month in Switzerland.
“I am very happy about the progress in the first peacekeeping conference in Switzerland. And we agreed that there is no politician in Europe who does not want peace. We all understand the risks. But Ukraine is the one that has to decide when and under what conditions it will negotiate…”, she said.
Otherwise, there is currently no official direct negotiating mechanism between Zelenksy and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, but Ukraine has repeatedly said that Russia should withdraw all of its forces from within its borders, including from the Peninsula. of Crimea which it annexed in 2014, before serious peace talks can begin.
But Russian troops are making some territorial gains on the battlefield, and Zelensky has often complained about the slow supply of weapons and ammunition from Western allies.
Zelensky called on European Union leaders on Thursday to fulfill their promises to provide military equipment to his country, while the bloc pledged long-term support for Kiev.
Speaking at an EU Council Summit in Brussels on Thursday, Zelensky said he would present a “detailed plan” to end the war within months.
“All those who really want peace must work together to develop an action plan to address all aspects of security that have been violated by Russia,” he told reporters in Kiev on Friday.
