Ukraine president says next few months will be ‘decisive’

Speaking at the American Academy of Achievement award ceremony in Washington D.C., Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies to act faster and “define what the outcome [of the war] will be”.

“We don’t have much time,” he said, adding: “The next few months will be decisive. Ahead of us in this war — Russia’s war against Ukraine, and all of you because this is Russia’s war against freedom itself — we are short of time to define what the outcome will be.

“And we must define it. Not Russia, not their bloody allies. We need to be faster. We need not to lose the next few months in war, so that we don’t lose the next decades.”

Zelensky’s remarks came as he began his trip to the U.S. where he will present his “victory plan” to President Joe Biden, as well as to presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and members of Congress.

He will also attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York and meet other world leaders.

Zelensky will present his “victory plan” as Ukraine holds territories in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, though Moscow keeps on pushing on multiple fronts in the country’s east.

Ukraine announced it is open to suggestions from Washington to strengthen the plan. U.S. officials said they had been acquainted with elements of Zelensky’s strategy and voiced belief “that (it) can work.”

Zelensky said the plan was designed to end the war with the backing of international partners without relying on Russia’s cooperation. However, he did not specify how it would achieve this.

“This must be our shared achievement — victory for freedom, with no compromises at freedom’s expense,” the president added.

At the American Academy of Achievement award ceremony, Zelensky received the Golden Plate Award in recognition of contributions to human development.