Zelenskyy: Ukraine Nears End of War with Russia, Calls for Stronger Western Support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism that the war with Russia could end sooner than anticipated. In an interview with ABC News, Zelenskyy stated, “I think we are closer to peace than we think.”
However, he emphasized that peace is achievable only if Ukraine can negotiate from a position of strength. To do so, Zelenskyy once again called on his Western allies to bolster the Ukrainian army with more military support. “We can push Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict, but only if we are coming from a strong position,” he added.
Zelenskyy is in the United States this week to address the United Nations General Assembly and present a comprehensive “victory plan” to his Western allies, including US President Joe Biden. The plan is centered around additional weapons donations, diplomatic efforts to compel Russia to agree to peace, and ensuring Moscow is held accountable for its full-scale invasion, which began in 2022.
In his interview, Zelenskyy clarified that the victory plan is not about negotiating directly with Russia, but rather, it serves as “a bridge to a diplomatic way out, to stop the war.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin responded cautiously to reports of Ukraine’s victory plan. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that the conflict would only end once Russia’s goals had been achieved.
Zelenskyy has also been urging Western nations to ease restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles that could strike deep into Russian territory. He is expected to renew this request during his visit to the US. US President Joe Biden has not yet decided on this matter, with Biden stating on Sunday that the decision is still under consideration. Zelenskyy commented, “Everybody’s looking up to [Biden], and we need this to defend ourselves.”
Zelenskyy will address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and is also scheduled to meet with US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during his visit.
