Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed optimism that the war with Russia could end sooner than expected.
In an interview, Zelensky revealed plans to present a victory strategy to US President Joe Biden, urging Ukraine’s allies to “strengthen” its military.
He clarified that the plan was not about negotiations with Russia, but rather a path to ending the war through diplomatic means. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine could only push Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict from a “strong position.”
He is also expected to renew calls for the easing of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles during his US visit.
Zelensky will speak at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and is also due to meet US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
The president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, told the New York Times that Ukraine would have to be “realistic” about its prospects of recovering the areas in the east of the country which Russia has managed to gain over the last 31 months of war.
He added that the most likely outcome of the war was that a part of Ukrainian territory would remain under Russian occupation for a number of years.