KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means,” as both countries prepare for Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
February 2025 would mark the third anniversary of Moscow’s military operations in Ukraine, with Russia’s troops gaining ground in recent months against Kyiv’s outmanned and outgunned soldiers.
The prospect of Trump returning to power in the United States next year has raised questions about the future of the conflict, as the Republican has been critical of US military aid to Kyiv.
Zelensky spoke a day after saying the war will end “sooner” than it otherwise would have once Trump becomes president.
He also spoke a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin held his first phone call in nearly two years with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who initiated the call despite Kyiv’s objections.
“For our part, we must do everything we can to ensure that this war ends next year. We have to end it by diplomatic means,” Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian radio. “And this, I think, is very important.”
There have been no meaningful talks between Russia and Ukraine, but Trump’s re-election has plunged the attritional conflict’s future into uncertainty, with the Republican repeatedly promising to cut a quick deal to end the war.
“We have to understand what the Russians want,” Zelensky said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will only accept talks with Ukraine if Kyiv surrenders Ukrainian territory that Moscow occupies.
The Kremlin said he repeated that demand in the phone conversation with Scholz on Friday.
Zelensky has rejected Putin’s conditions.
G7 by Ukraine’s ‘Side’
Ukraine was angered after Germany’s Scholz reached out to Putin on Friday, calling the Russian leader after almost two years of silence.
Berlin said Scholz “urged Russia to show willingness to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace.”
But Ukraine accused Scholz of an “attempt at appeasement” and said the call would not achieve anything other than minimising Putin’s “isolation.”
Scholz said he had spoken to Zelensky before calling the Kremlin chief and also informed other Western allies of the call.
ALSO READ: G7 Says Russia Sole Obstacle to Peace in Ukraine
On Saturday, the G7 — which includes many of Kyiv’s key backers — said Russia remained the sole obstacle to a just peace in Ukraine, pledging sanctions targeting Moscow.
“Russia remains the sole obstacle to a just and lasting peace,” the G7, which is currently chaired by Italy, said in a statement marking 1,000 days of the Russian war on Ukraine.
The G7, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States, reaffirmed its commitment to imposing severe costs on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine through sanctions, export controls, and other effective measures, it added.
Moscow has made steady advances in eastern Ukraine since this summer, inching closer to key hubs such as Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
Zelensky said on Saturday that Russian forces advance had “slowed down” in some areas. AFP
