Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the war with Russia would ultimately end through dialogue. But he said Kyiv must be in a position of strength, and that he would present the plan to U.S. President Joe Biden and his two potential successors.
“There is no compromise with Putin, today's dialogue is in principle meaningless and meaningless, because he does not want to end the war diplomatically. He does not want it, he pretends to be ready for diplomatic means, but on the condition of giving him 30 percent of our land,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader, at a news conference, said Kyiv's three-week offensive into Russia's Kursk region was part of the plan, but Zelenskyy said it also included other economic and diplomatic measures.
He did not elaborate on what those next steps would be, but said he would also discuss the plan with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and possibly with Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. Both are presidential hopefuls in the upcoming election.
Zelenskyy said he hoped to visit the United States in September, to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, and that he was preparing to meet Biden.
His remarks suggest he sees the key UN talks forum as a potential follow-up to an international peace summit, to which Ukraine wants Russia to send a representative.
The first summit to outline Kyiv’s peace vision, held in Switzerland in June, explicitly sidelined Russia. But it brought together a large delegation, though no representative from China, the world’s second-largest economy, despite Ukraine’s efforts to attract support from countries in the southern hemisphere.
Zelenskyy insisted Russia wanted to dictate terms to Ukraine for any end to the war, something Kyiv considered unacceptable.
He said the attack on the Kursk region had reduced the number of countries in the world asking Ukraine to compromise with Russia to end the war and hand over most of its territory.
He also said that Ukraine continues to make progress in its domestic arms production, and has conducted the first test of a domestically produced ballistic missile. (ns/time)
