During the meeting with Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar in Kiev, Ukrainian President Zelensky explained that he is working on a new comprehensive plan for peace in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was working on a “comprehensive plan” to end the war with Russia. “We do not want to prolong this war,” Zelensky said, speaking to reporters in Kiev alongside Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar.
“We need to come to a just peace as soon as possible. We talked about the situation on the battlefield, in particular in the Kharkiv region, where Russia tried to launch a large-scale offensive. The occupiers failed. Our Ukrainian forces stabilized the situation and stopped the offensive, which was difficult. We will continue to do the same to deprive Russia of the illusion that it can achieve something with this war,” the Ukrainian leader added.
The meeting between Zelenskyy and Pirc Musar focused on preparations for a second international peace summit, following a two-day event held earlier this month in Switzerland.
“I am very satisfied with the progress made during the first peace conference in Switzerland. And we agreed that there is no politician in Europe who does not want peace. We all understand the risks. But it is Ukraine that must decide when and under what conditions to negotiate. And we are on your side,” said Zelensky, who hosted the summit to rally international support for Ukraine in its two-year war with Russia.
It was attended by leaders and senior officials from more than 90 countries, and the majority approved a final communiqué stating that Ukraine’s territorial integrity must be respected in any peace agreement.
But not all participants agreed with the wording of the declaration and refused to sign it. Some countries, such as India and Saudi Arabia, said the effectiveness of the summit itself was limited by Russia’s absence.
There is currently no official direct negotiation mechanism between Zelenksy and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, but Ukraine has repeatedly said that Russia must withdraw all its forces within its borderincluding the Crimean peninsula which it annexed in 2014, before serious peace talks can begin.
However, Russian troops are making some territorial gains on the battlefield and Zelensky has often complained about the slow pace of supplies of weapons and ammunition from Western allies.
Zelenksy wrote in X on Friday that a Russian attack on a residential apartment block in Dnipro had destroyed four floors and injured three people.
Local authorities stated that One person was killed in the attack and two were reported missing. The regional governor said a seven-month-old baby was injured after inhaling smoke from the attack.
While attending Thursday’s European Council in Brussels, Zelensky called on European Union leaders to keep promises to supply military equipment to his country, while the bloc pledged long-term support for Kiev. Speaking at the summit, he also said that he will present a “detailed plan” to end the war within a few months.
