Volodymyr Zelensky says war with Russia could soon be over with allies help

Volodymyr Zelensky said 'we are closer to peace than we think -we just have to be very strong' during a visit to see President Joe Biden in the USA

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the war with Russia could end soon if Ukraine remains strengthened by its allies.

President Zelensky, visiting the United States, said he would present a potential victory plan to President Biden at their meeting this week. Mr Zelensky said: “I think that we are closer to peace than we think. We just have to be very strong, very strong.”

He added that the plan would not centre on negotiating with Russia, but instead offer a diplomatic solution. And Ukraine could only push Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict if Kyiv came from a militarily strong position, its forces bolstered by international allies, he told US television network ABC News.

Mr Zelensky has for two years been asking Western countries to permit Ukraine to launch their long-range missiles deep into Russian territory. He is expected to repeat the request this week.

With President Biden still undecided on the issue, President Zelensky said: “We need this to defend ourselves.” He will speak at the UN General Assembly today and is also due to meet US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the conflict would only end when Russia’s aims were achieved. And Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, hinted that Ukraine would only be able to end the war by conceding some of the territory Russia has taken over since its invasion began in February 2022.

Mr Zelensky’s US trip comes as Ukraine remains under sustained attack by Russia. In a daytime strike yesterday, Moscow forces hit a high-rise apartment block in the city of Kharkiv. At least three people died and 15 were injured in the aerial bombardment.

On Monday night an attack on the eastern town of Poltava damaged infrastructure, while airstrikes on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed one person and wounded six more. Russian troops have also made major advances in the east and are closing in on the prized city of Vuhledar.