The end of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev could be closer than is generally believed, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said.
Zelensky is currently in the US, where he is expected to meet with President Joe Biden, members of Congress, and both presidential contenders – Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – to present them with his ‘peace plan,’ which he recently renamed a ‘victory plan.’
In an interview with broadcaster ABC News, extracts of which were released on Tuesday, Zelensky said ”I think that we are closer to the peace than we think. We are closer to the end of the war. We just have to be very strong, very strong.”
Zelensky also claimed last week that the scheme could end the fighting between Russia and Ukraine by the end of this year if the West makes “quick decisions” on increasing its support for Kiev.
As the details of his plan remain unknown, host Robin Roberts asked the Ukrainian leader whether it includes direct talks between the sides.
"It is not about negotiation with Russia,” he replied, adding that his scheme is intended to serve as “a bridge to [a] diplomatic way how to stop the war.”
According to Zelensky, his ‘victory plan’ is aimed at “the strengthening of Ukraine, Ukrainian army and Ukrainian people. Only in the strong position we can push [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to stop the war - diplomatic way.”
“That is why we are asking our friends, our allies, to strengthen us. It is very important,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the Ukrainian leader’s claim that the end of the conflict could be near by reiterating that Russia will stop its military operation only after all of its goals are achieved “one way or another.”
According to a report in the Sunday Times, Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ has four key clauses, including Western security guarantees for Ukraine similar to NATO’s principle of collective defense, the continuation of Kiev’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region to serve as a territorial bargaining chip, deliveries of “specific” advanced weapons by foreign backers, and international financial aid for Ukraine.
Peskov stressed on Monday that Moscow is so far unable to properly evaluate the initiative coming from Kiev because there is too little credible information about it. When asked about the specifics of Zelensky’s ‘victory plan,’ Russia’s first deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said “it is hard for us to understand what is on the madman’s mind.”