Ukraine’s Zelensky denies deadlock in war with Russia: ‘this is not a stalemate’
- ‘Time has passed, people are tired’ the president said of the sprawling frontline between the two warring sides that’s barely moved in almost a year
- The Ukrainian leader also rejected the idea that Western countries were putting pressure on him to enter negotiations with Russia
“Time has passed, people are tired … But this is not a stalemate,” Zelensky told a press conference in Kyiv with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
The Ukrainian leader also rejected the idea Western countries were putting pressure on him to enter negotiations with Russia, amid reports US and EU officials had spoken to Kyiv about what such talks would entail.
“No one among our partners is pressuring us to sit down with Russia, talk to it, and give it something,” he said.
With the war now in its 20th month and Ukraine struggling to gain ground in its counteroffensive, Zelensky has routinely met Western leaders in a bid to stave off fatigue with the conflict.
Zelensky said the war between Israel and Hamas had also drawn attention away from Ukraine, and said that this was “Russia’s goal”.
