Zelenskyy Named the Fastest Way to End the War
It could take a month, two, or even a year, according to the Ukrainian president.
Destroyed building as a result of a Russian strike on Kyiv, photo: Dan Bashakov / AP
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the fastest way to end Russia's war against Ukraine is to cease fire on the current line of contact and move to negotiations. He stated this in an interview with DR Nyheder, writes "Ukrainska Pravda".
“The fastest way to end Russia's war is to hold positions and move to negotiations. And it is very important here that we made a decision: we stop where we are, cease fire and move to a diplomatic path. This can last a month, two months, or a year. Or maybe even longer than we expect. But we are ending the hot phase of the war, and people stop dying,” he said.
According to the president, such an approach would allow slowing down the pace of mobilization and revitalizing the economy while negotiations continue.
Zelenskyy acknowledged that a ceasefire would require answers to many questions. In particular, regarding the positions of the parties, the mandate of the monitoring mission, demilitarization, European participation, and financing for the country's reconstruction.
At the same time, he emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand to first agree on a comprehensive plan and only then cease hostilities would indicate an unwillingness to stop the war.
“If Putin does not want a ceasefire and says: 'No, I want a long plan with various questions — complex, sensitive, and not so much. And then, once we sign this long plan, we will stop the war,' this simply means that he does not want to stop the war,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.