Zelenskyy: We can end hot phase of Russia-Ukraine war by year-end

“I believe that if we are united and follow, for example, the format of a peace summit, we can end the hot stage of the war. We can try to do that by the end of this year. The plan will be ready. If it leads to the end of the hot stage of the war, it will be very right and very powerful,” he said.

Zelenskyy stressed that this plan should be joint with the partners, although “it also depends on their desire, so that no one plays with the initiatives to end the war.” According to him, partners should put pressure on Russia “so that Russia agrees to sit down and think about ending the war.”

“It doesn’t mean that all territories are won back by force. I think the power of diplomacy can help. By putting pressure on Russia, I think it is possible to agree to a diplomatic settlement,” he said.

Zelenskyy added that a weaker Russia on the battlefield would put Ukraine in a stronger position at the negotiating table.

What Zelenskyy said about ending the war

In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the war in Ukraine would end when the world realizes that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a serious threat to its existence.

Last December, answering the question of whether the war would end in 2024, Zelenskyy said that no one, not even the commanders, knew the answer to whether Russia's war against Ukraine would end this year.