Ukrainian President Zelensky delivered a video speech on Sunday night, reiterating that a country cannot achieve peace solely through diplomatic means without a strong military power. Zelensky emphasized the necessity of combining both diplomatic efforts and military strength to end the Russia-Ukraine war and ensure similar conflicts do not recur.
“We are very aware that diplomacy without [military] strength has no future. Without a clear understanding of diplomatic goals, missions cannot be accomplished solely with weapons,” Zelensky stated in his video speech.
He stressed that only through the collaboration of strong national power and clear diplomatic goals can national interests be achieved. Zelensky pointed out that such collaboration is the key to ensuring long-term peace in the international community and the only way to prevent conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war from happening again.
Zelensky’s latest statement coincided with Trump’s upcoming visit to the White House for transition work.
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine within one day but did not specify any concrete methods. There were reports suggesting that Trump had a phone call with Russian President Putin and advised against escalating the war. However, officials in Kyiv stated that they were not informed about this matter.