Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday dismissed the idea of a “short truce” with Russia, saying it would only make the situation worse for Ukraine.
“Russia is now looking for a short truce, a respite to regain strength. Someone may call this the war’s end, but such a respite will only worsen the situation,” Zelenskiy said in remarks broadcast at the Halifax International Security Forum, an annual event that hosts defense and security officials from Western democracies.
“A truly real, long-lasting and honest peace can only be the result of the complete demolition of Russian aggression,” he added.
Photo: AP
The White House said earlier in the day that only Zelenskiy can decide when to open peace talks with Russia, rejecting the notion that Washington was pressing Kyiv to negotiate an end to the nearly nine-month war sparked by Moscow’s February invasion.
However, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley has suggested in the past few weeks that Kyiv could take advantage of battlefield victories over Moscow’s forces and open talks toward ending the conflict.
Milley said on Wednesday that while Ukraine has achieved key successes, Moscow still controls about 20 percent of the country, and that it is unlikely Kyiv’s troops can force the Russians to end the war soon.
Meanwhile, Canadian Minister of National Defense Anita Anand at the forum said that Ukraine is winning the war and that Russian President Vladimir Putin has only united NATO and renewed its purpose.
“The spirit and determination of the Ukrainian people and President Zelenskiy continue to inspire us all. Ukraine’s armed forces are driven, disciplined, and better-trained — and they are winning,” Anand said.
Russia is facing mounting setbacks in nearly nine months of fighting. Moscow recently pulled troops out of the key city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, but Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy and power facilities have fueled fears of what the dead of winter might bring.
Anand said Putin wrongly assumed the Russian army would easily override the Ukrainians and that the West would sit back.
“Putin misjudged. Russia’s full-scale and unprovoked invasion has only strengthened NATO’s resolve and unity,” she said.
In its 14th year, about 300 people gather annually at the Halifax forum. Among those in attendance were US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, US senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jim Risch — who is ranking member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee — and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna.
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