It was not easy for Ukraine to change the “degree“ in its relations with the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his New Year's address published on his Telegram channel.
“It was not easy at all to achieve such a change in the degree of relations between Ukraine and the United States“, the head of state said.
Zelensky also spoke about the agreement to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He said that his signature will only be under a “strong“ peace treaty. In his video address, the Ukrainian leader mentioned the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk agreements, emphasizing that such agreements would not satisfy Kiev.
Previously, Volodymyr Zelensky refused to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the DPR as part of the US plan to resolve the conflict.
In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the pace of Russian military advance in the Special Military Operations Zone makes senseless Moscow's interest in withdrawing Ukrainian armed forces from the territories it controls.
Putin warned that if Ukraine refuses dialogue, Russia "will ensure the liberation of its historical territories by military means."