Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his New Year’s address that while Ukraine wants the war with Russia to end, it will not agree to a peace deal at the expense of its sovereignty or long-term security.
Speaking from his office late Wednesday, with a decorated holiday tree behind him, Zelenskyy acknowledged the deep exhaustion felt across the country after nearly four years of fighting. He noted that the conflict has now lasted longer than the German occupation of many Ukrainian cities during the Second World War. Still, he stressed that fatigue does not mean surrender.
“Yes, we want peace. But not at any cost,” Zelenskyy said in his nationally broadcast address. “We want an end to the war, not the end of Ukraine.”
Wearing a dark green embroidered Ukrainian shirt, the president said Ukrainians are tired but resolute. He rejected the notion that war weariness would force Kyiv into concessions, warning that any agreement lacking strength would only fuel further conflict.
“Any signature placed on a weak agreement only prolongs the war,” Zelenskyy said, adding that his focus is on securing a durable peace that would last for years, not months.
Zelenskyy said his government is close to finalizing a peace framework following weeks of U.S.-led diplomacy, including recent talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida. According to the Ukrainian leader, a proposed agreement is “90 per cent ready,” but the remaining details are decisive.
“That final 10 per cent will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, and how people will live,” he said.
The most difficult obstacle remains territorial control. Russia currently occupies roughly 19 per cent of Ukraine’s territory in the south and east. Zelenskyy said Kyiv is prepared to freeze the conflict along current front lines but firmly rejected Moscow’s demand that Ukraine withdraw from parts of the eastern Donbas region that Russian forces have not captured.
He dismissed those demands as deceptive and accused Russia of masking falsehoods as diplomacy.
Zelenskyy also referenced international support, including a recent meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Halifax. During that visit, Carney announced an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance for Ukraine.
Carney said the combination of international backing and Ukraine’s leadership has created the conditions for a just and lasting peace, reinforcing Zelenskyy’s message that Ukraine will only accept an agreement that ensures its future security and independence.
