Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to end the Ukraine-Russia war through diplomacy, despite coming with tough conditions so far. In a radio interview broadcast on Saturday (November 16), he said, Ukraine must do its best to end the war next year. The Ukrainian president's comments came amid the victory of Republican Donald Trump in the US presidential election and Russia's progress on the battlefield. British news agency Reuters reported this news.
Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in agreeing to a peace deal. At the time, he argued, it was advantageous for Moscow to negotiate while continuing the war.
“We must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends diplomatically,” Zelensky said in a Ukrainian radio interview.
Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said Thursday that Russia would be open to negotiating an end to the war only if Trump took the initiative. But they have to be accepted as 'reality', he said.
Moscow uses the term to require Ukraine to give up four territories that are partially occupied by Russian forces and that Russia claims in full.
Since Russia's all-out invasion in February 2022, Zelensky has repeatedly said there will be no peace until all Russian forces are withdrawn and all territories occupied by Moscow, including Crimea, are returned.
Returning to Ukraine's internationally recognized 1991 borders was not mentioned in Zelensky's 'victory plan', which he presented publicly last month.
Zelensky said the war was likely to end quickly under Trump. Trump has often said during his election campaign that he would end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office. But he didn't say exactly how he would do that.
Zelensky said that under US law, he is barred from meeting with Trump until after he takes office as president on January 20. Zelensky said he would speak only to Trump, not an envoy or adviser. “We will do everything we have to do,” he said. We had a really good meeting in September.'
