As the war has dragged on for two and a half years, Zelensky said on Friday that he was working on a new peace plan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday he is working on a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, while continuing to build up his military presence to force Russia to accept a “just peace”. “It is very important for us to show a plan to end the war that is supported by the majority (of countries) in the world, that’s what we are doing diplomatically”he said during a press conference in kyiv, alongside his Slovenian counterpart Natasha Pirc Musar. “We do not want to prolong this war and we must achieve a just peace as soon as possible.”he added.
But Volodymyr Zelensky also insisted that his country must at the same time strengthen its military industry, because “Russia only understands strength, and respects only the strong”. “These are two things in parallel: being strong on the battlefield, and developing a plan, a clear and detailed plan, which will be ready this year”, he insisted. Ukraine has already proposed a 10-point peace plan, supported by the West, in 2022, the year of its invasion by Russia, involving the unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.
A peace summit also took place in Switzerland in mid-June, at the initiative of Ukraine, from which Russia had been excluded. Dozens of countries supported Kiev’s efforts, but several key powers abstained and others, led by China, did not make the trip.
Demand for surrender
Zelensky had also said in Brussels on Thursday that the plan that Ukraine is working on, with its supporters, should be presented at a second summit. kyiv had indicated that Russia could possibly be invited. “We have many wounded and dead on the battlefield and among civilians. This is why we do not want the war to last for years, which is why we are preparing this plan together, to put it on the table during a second peace summit.he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed his own solution to the conflict: Ukraine should cede five eastern and southern regions to him and renounce its plans to join NATO. In fact a request for capitulation, rejected in kyiv as in the West.
