President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his New Year address to the nation, said late on Wednesday that Ukraine wanted the war to end, but not at any cost, adding he would not sign a “weak” peace agreement that would only prolong the war.
Seated in his office, with a festive tree in the background, Zelenskiy said Ukrainians were exhausted from nearly four years of war — longer than the German World War Two occupation of many Ukrainian cities. But they were not prepared to give up.
“What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No. We want an end to the war but not the end of Ukraine,” Zelenskiy, wearing a dark green embroidered Ukrainian shirt, said in the 21-minute address issued just before midnight.
“Are we tired? Very. Does this mean we are ready to surrender? Anyone who thinks so is deeply mistaken.”
Zelenskiy said any signature “placed on weak agreements only fuel the war.”
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Chris Reese)
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