Ukraine aims to end 'hot stage' of war by end of 2024, Zelensky says
Editor's note: The headline and the text were updated with additional quotes by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
With the support of partners, Ukraine could try to end the hot stage of the war with Russia by the end of the year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC on July 18.
"I believe that if we are united and follow, for example, the format of the peace summit, we can end the hot stage of the war. We can try to do it by the end of this year," Zelensky said.
While promising that such a "plan will be ready," the president did not disclose any practical details on what it could entail.
Russia was not invited to the global peace summit held in Switzerland in June, but Kyiv said it wants to invite a Russian representative to a follow-up conference. Ukraine hopes to present Moscow with a peace plan developed jointly by the summit participants.
The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected participating in the second summit. The world must exert pressure on Russia and force it to consider a diplomatic settlement, the president said.
"It doesn't mean that all territories are won back by force. I think the power of diplomacy can help," Zelensky said, adding that weakening Russia on the battlefield would give Ukraine a more advantageous position in negotiations.
"By putting pressure on Russia, I think it is possible to agree to a diplomatic settlement."
Kyiv and Moscow have not led direct negotiations since unsuccessful talks in early 2022.
Speaking a day ahead of the Switzerland summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukraine must fully withdraw from four partially occupied oblasts that Moscow illegally annexed in 2022. Kyiv rejected this demand.
In turn, the Kremlin has rejected Ukraine's key condition in Zelensky's 10-point peace formula on the full withdrawal of Russian forces.
The Republican nominee in the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump, has repeatedly pledged to end the war within 24 hours, which could, according to some reports, include forcing Ukraine to cede territory.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country is considered the most Kremlin-friendly EU and NATO member, met Trump as part of his self-styled "peace mission" in Florida, claiming that the U.S. politician would quickly demand that Ukraine hold peace talks with Russia if he is reelected.
Commenting on Trump's potential return to the White House, Zelensky said that dealing with him would be "hard work, but we (Ukrainians) are hard workers." Trump has criticized aid for Ukraine in the past, and his sway over the Republican Party contributed to delays in U.S. assistance earlier this year.
Oleg Sukhov
