(MENAFN- Live Mint) Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday vowed that his country would use 2025 to fight for an end to Russia's nearly three-year-long invasion by any means necessary.
The Ukrainian leader's address caps a difficult year for the war-battered country which has been fending off a better-resourced Russian army for nearly three years. "May 2025 be our year," Zelensky said in an address to the nation just before the clock struck midnight in Kyiv.
“We know that peace will not be given to us as a gift but we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war.”
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According to an AFP analysis, Ukraine lost seven times more territory to Russia in 2024 than in 2023 and faces the looming possibility of reduced US military and political support if Donald Trump assumes the presidency.
In an effort to support Ukraine before Trump takes office, President Joe Biden's administration announced nearly $6 billion in military and financial aid on Monday. Trump, a Republican, has pledged to resolve the conflict in "24 hours" if he regains power, sparking concerns in Ukraine that it may be pressured to relinquish all territories currently under Russian control in exchange for peace, AFP reported.
'I must fight'
In his new year's address Zelensky said that Ukraine had to continue to fight to gain the upper hand -- both on the battlefield and ahead of any prospective peace talks.
“Every day in the coming year, I, and all of us, must fight for a Ukraine that is strong enough,” the Ukrainian leader said.
"Because only such a Ukraine is respected and heard. Both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table."
But Zelensky appeared sanguine about Trump's return.
"I have no doubt that the new American President is willing and capable of achieving peace and ending (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's aggression," Zelensky said.
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In his own New Year's Eve address on Tuesday, Putin did not explicitly mention the war in Ukraine but praised Russia's soldiers for their "courage and bravery".
“You are true heroes who have undertaken the great military labour to defend Russia,” he said.
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov honored the "fallen soldiers" in his speech, claiming they had died fighting "Nazism," a justification used by Putin to initiate the invasion of Ukraine.
Since the conflict began in February 2022, Moscow has carried out near-daily overnight aerial strikes on Ukraine, targeting both military and civilian infrastructure, including the power grid. In retaliation, Ukraine has intensified its own attacks within Russian territory and urged its Western allies to provide more air defense systems to bolster its defenses.
A Ukrainian drone strike in western Russia caused a fuel spill and fire at an oil depot, a Russian regional governor said earlier on Tuesday.
'Everyone has one wish'
Ukrainian President Zelensky has called on his country's allies to help end the invasion and secure lasting peace in 2025. The incoming US president has pledged to bring the war to an end, but has yet to present a clear plan, raising concerns that any resolution could come at the cost of Ukrainian territory.
Amid these fears, Zelensky has worked to build relationships with Donald Trump and his team, as there are concerns that the Republican could reduce or even halt crucial US military aid to Ukraine.
(With inputs from AFP)
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