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Ukraine expects conflict to be over no later than 2025 — Zelensky

Zelensky stated that by November Ukraine expected to prepare a document that would be presented at a new conference on the settlement in the country, but did not specify when this event was planned to be held

MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Ukraine aims to end the conflict no later than 2025, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit in Croatia, as broadcast on the website of the president's office.

"In October, November, and December, we have a genuine chance to move the situation toward peace and lasting stability. The conditions on the battlefield create an opportunity to make that choice - the choice to act decisively to end <...> [the conflict] by 2025 at the latest," he stated.

Zelensky added that by November Ukraine expects to prepare a document that would be presented at a new conference on the settlement in the country, but did not specify when this event was planned to be held. Earlier, the Ukrainian president's office said that it would not be possible to convene it in November.

Zelensky stated that he had a specific "plan" to increase pressure on Russia, which he would first present to US President Joe Biden. Later, Andrey Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, clarified that the "plan" would be shared with the country’s citizens only after it had been shown to Kiev's Western partners, while certain sensitive elements would remain undisclosed to the public.

On June 14, Putin set forth the conditions for resolving the situation in Ukraine at a meeting with senior Foreign Ministry officials. His terms included Ukraine withdrawing troops from Donbass and Novorossiya and abandoning plans to join NATO. In addition, Moscow said that all Western sanctions must be lifted and Ukraine’s non-bloc and non-nuclear status must be guaranteed, while Ukraine must ensure the rights, freedoms and interests of its Russian-speaking citizens. Putin noted that if Ukraine and the West turned down the initiative, the conditions might change for the worse in the future. Kiev rejected Russia’s peace plan. After the launch of a massive Ukrainian attack on Russia’s borderline Kursk Region on August 6, Putin stated that negotiations with a government targeting civilians made no sense.