By Kanishka Singh and Costas Pitas
(Reuters) -Decisive actions by the US now might hasten the tip of the Russian struggle towards Ukraine subsequent yr, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Monday after telling the ABC Information that his nation was “closer to the end of the war.”
“Now, at the end of the year, we have a real opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the United States,” Zelenskiy stated in a put up on his Telegram messaging app after assembly with a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Congress.
“Decisive action now could hasten the just end of Russian aggression against Ukraine next year.”
Zelenskiy is in the US for the U.N. Basic Meeting. Later within the week he’ll journey to Washington to current his “victory plan” and affect White Home coverage on the struggle regardless of who wins the U.S. election on Nov. 5.
On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump – who says he’ll finish the struggle inside days if elected – claimed with out proof that Zelenskiy wished the Democrats to win in November.
The presidential workplace in Kyiv didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark however Zelenskiy has beforehand stated he’s prepared to work with whoever occupies the White Home.
Within the interview with ABC Information, Zelenskiy urged Washington and different companions to proceed supporting Ukraine. Washington and its allies have offered a multi-billion greenback help program to Ukraine whereas additionally imposing a number of rounds of sanctions towards Moscow.
“I think that we are closer to the peace than we think,” he was quoted as saying. “We are closer to the end of the war.”
PEACE PLAN
The complete-scale Russia invasion of Ukraine, or “special military operation” as Moscow calls it, started in Feb 2022 and has killed hundreds of individuals, uprooted thousands and thousands extra and turned Ukrainian cities and cities into rubble.
The Ukrainian chief stated within the ABC interview that solely from a “strong position” can Ukraine push Russian President Vladimir Putin “to stop the war.”
Zelenskiy has stated little or no up to now about his “victory plan,” besides that it will act as a “bridge” to a second Ukraine-led summit on peace that Kyiv needs to carry and invite Russia to later this yr.
The Ukrainian president’s chief of employees, Andriy Yermak, stated in New York on Monday that the plan included accelerated NATO membership for Ukraine, one thing Moscow says it’s going to by no means tolerate.
Putin says peace talks can start provided that Kyiv abandons swathes of japanese and southern Ukraine to Russia and drops its NATO membership ambitions. Zelenskiy has known as repeatedly for a withdrawal of all Russian troops, and the restoration of Ukraine’s post-Soviet borders.
Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory and has been advancing within the east, taking management of a sequence of settlements in a push to grab your entire Donbas area.
In a daring transfer to seize again the initiative, Ukrainian troops attacked into Russia’s western Kursk area on Aug. 6 and proceed to occupy dozens of villages on Russian soil.
Zelenskiy informed ABC Information the Kursk operation uncovered the weak point of Putin’s place, despite the fact that the Russian army continues to advance on its aims in Donbas.
“He’s afraid very much,” he stated. “Why? Because his people saw that he can’t defend – that he can’t defend all his territory.”
Ukraine and the West say Russia is waging an imperial-style struggle. Putin forged the Ukraine invasion as a defensive transfer towards a hostile and aggressive West.
