Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was only ’10 per cent away’ from a peace deal in his New Year address.
But the president also insisted he would not sign a ‘weak’ deal at any cost in the 20-minute speech.
The final part of the agreement will ‘determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe’ and ‘save millions of lives’, Mr Zelensky added.
And his reservations remain around ceding territory to Russia in eastern Ukraine, which Zelensky warned will embolden Vladimir Putin.
He said: ‘We want the war to end – not the end of Ukraine. Can Russia end the war? Yes. Does it want to? No. Can the world force it to? Yes – and only that way will it work.
‘Signatures under weak agreements only fuel war. Either the world stops Russia’s war, or Russia drags the world into its war.’
Ukraine is expected to resume negotiations with US and European officials tomorrow, while the UK-led Coalition of the Willing is expected to meet on Sunday.
