NEW YORK, December 3. /TASS/. The shift in rhetoric by Vladimir Zelensky, who signaled the possibility of ending the "hot phase" of the conflict with Russia without reclaiming the lost territories, reflects Ukraine’s growing fatigue with the war, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

Such sentiments are increasing in Ukraine against the backdrop of a military personnel shortage at the front and the related forced mobilization, the WSJ wrote.

Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News on November 29 that the "hot phase" of the conflict could be concluded if Kiev-controlled territories were placed under the NATO umbrella. Ukraine had not officially considered such a proposal, as it had not been formally put forward, he noted. Ukraine’s Strana news outlet pointed out that this was Zelensky’s first statement since February 2022, signaling his readiness to end the conflict without the return of the lost territories. On December 1, Zelensky told a press conference in Kiev that Ukraine would never accept NATO membership without the return of the lost territories.