End of War Is ‘Closer Than We Think’, Says Zelensky—So When Might That Be?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC News on Monday that “we are closer to the end of the war.”

“I think that we are closer to peace than we think,” he said. “We just have to be very strong.” He also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “afraid” because of Ukraine’s ongoing Kursk incursion.

Zelensky is currently on a visit to the U.S. where he will meet with President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, attend the UN General Assembly and present a “victory plan” to the White House.

According to a statement from the Biden administration, the leaders will “discuss the state of the war between Russia and Ukraine,” and the president and Harris will “emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war.”

Russia is reportedly aiming for a victory in Ukraine by 2026, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, remarked at an international conference held in Kyiv on Sunday that 2025 will be a critical year for Russia in the conflict, as it battles with personnel shortages and difficulties in military recruitment.

RBC News reported that Budanov said: “2025 will be a critical year for them, with the period from late 2025 to early 2026 being especially pivotal. They want to end everything because, according to their own calculations, if Russia does not emerge from this war as a victor, it will lose its status as a great power for the foreseeable future.”

Zelensky made a post on Telegram, where he said: “Now at the end of the year, we have a real opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.”

“Decisive action now could hasten the just end of Russian aggression against Ukraine next year,” indicating that the conflict could end in 2025, though the “decisive action,” he referred to wasn’t defined.

Newsweek spoke with Orysia Lutsevych, the chair of Chatham House’s Ukraine Forum and Deputy Director of its Russia and Eurasia Programme.

“Zelensky’s estimation of when this war may end from Russian perspective is based on intelligence that Ukrainian military intelligence is getting from Russian sources, how they would like, or when they would like to end this war so that it doesn’t destabilize Russia too much internally” Lutsevych said. “If Ukraine is provided with enough military capabilities, it can make the end of war closer.

“That means that Russian generals will go to Putin saying, we are losing on the battlefield. And that could prompt Russian senior leadership to negotiate in earnest, to be really seeking political, diplomatic solution to the end of the war, rather than facing a humiliating defeat on the battlefield.

“This is the kind of strategy of victory that President Zelensky is trying to sell in Washington.”

Zelensky‘s visit to the U.S. comes as Ukraine is continuing to urge its Western allies to allow it to strike targets deep within Russian territory using long-range missiles.

When asked if obtaining this kind of weaponry could influence the end of the war, Lutsevych said: “There’s no one weapon that is a game changer. It works in a cohort.”

“If Ukraine has authorization to use long-range missiles and has the sufficient stock,” she said. “Ukraine can get authorization, receive a couple of missiles and deteriorate situation where Russia will retaliate and Ukraine will not be able to, in a way, use this advantage.”

“It’s not only about authorization, it’s also about significant stock of those missiles,” Lutsevych continued. “These capabilities, specifically long-range missiles, will facilitate, reinforce Ukraine’s positions on the battlefield.”

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian defense ministry and the Kremlin via email for comment.

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