Zelenskyy: Ukraine hopes to achieve peace within a year through diplomacy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the conference. Photo: NikVesti

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that ending hostilities is the main task for Ukraine, and peace can be achieved within a year, provided that active negotiations and diplomatic efforts continue.

He said this in an interview with the French television channel France 2.

«I really hope (that there will be peace in Ukraine in a year's time, — note). We will do everything we can. This is our priority. Mine and my team's. My team is currently negotiating. Our priority is to end this war,» the head of state emphasised.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Russia is trying to present its ultimatums as a search for compromise, while continuing to shell civilians and using the cold as a tool of pressure. According to him, every attack on the civilian population only distances the possibility of real agreements.

The President stressed that the diplomatic path for Ukraine does not mean capitulation or acceptance of Moscow's demands. He called Russia's demand for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire territory of Donbas a «red line».

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that even fixing the front line at its current positions would be a «huge concession» on the part of Ukraine, but Kyiv is ready for dialogue in order to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the state.

Commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron's initiative to resume dialogue with Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that talks are only possible if there are clear demands. In his opinion, the current pressure on Russia is insufficient, and Putin himself is using the negotiations to humiliate Europe.

Recall that after the first trilateral meeting, which took place on 23 January in the United Arab Emirates, Volodymyr Zelensky emphasised that in order to achieve a truce, Russia must ultimately «develop» a desire to end the war.

At the same time, Russia called the start of trilateral negotiations between expert groups from Ukraine, the United States and Russia a certain step forward in the negotiation process.