Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says power must come with diplomacy to achieve peace By Reuters
(Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late on Sunday that force and dialogue must work together to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and ensure that such conflicts do not happen again in the future.
“We clearly understand that diplomacy has no hope without force,” Zelenskiy said in his late night speech.
“But without a good understanding of the officials’ intentions, weapons alone will not do the job. That is why power and communications must work together.”
This is the only way to secure lasting peace and prevent wars like the one Moscow has been fighting with Kyiv from happening again, he added.
Zelenskiy, who has been calling for a “fair” end to the war, has called on the United States and its NATO allies to arm Kyiv and help force Russian President Vladimir Putin to silence, saying Ukraine is only open to “sincere” talks.
Ukraine has also been urging its allies to allow Kyiv to use western weapons to strike deep into Russian territory and destroy Moscow’s military infrastructure.
Zelenskiy’s call on Sunday to step up communications efforts comes after former Republican President Donald Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.
During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly said that he could end the war in Ukraine “in a day,” but he did not say how. On Thursday, Trump spoke to Putin and advised him not to escalate the war, a source told Reuters – a call that Kyiv said it had not been informed about.
The war, which Russia launched with an all-out attack on its tiny neighbor in February 2022, has killed thousands, turned cities and towns into ruins, and displaced millions of Ukrainians.
