KYIV, Ukraine — As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia marks its fourth year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his readiness to bring the war to a swift conclusion, though he emphasized that this should not involve ceding any territory.
Zelensky aligned with former President Trump’s notion of accelerating the peace process to resolve a conflict that has claimed the lives of approximately 15,000 civilians and resulted in massive military casualties on both sides.
“President Trump is keen on resolving this war promptly,” Zelensky remarked during a press briefing in Ukraine. “We are in favor of expediting peace, but not at the cost of our land.”
He also noted that there had been no pressure from the US president in terms of a timeline or conditions to settle the conflict.
For the past year, Trump has urged both Ukraine and Russia to find a path to peace. However, diplomatic efforts have stalled, with emissaries visiting Kyiv and Moscow to little avail in advancing negotiations.
During this period, Ukraine has witnessed a significant increase in civilian casualties, with figures rising dramatically from 8,625 in 2024 to 11,226 in 2025.
The main issue continues to be Russia’s demand that Ukraine hand over its Donbas region — including the roughly 15% that remains under Ukrainian control.
One major change over the past year is that the US has stopped purchasing new weapons for Ukraine, with President Trump instead starting the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL program, which see Europe purchasing weapons from America, which are then provided to Ukraine.
“Today’s war is a big pressure on Europe, because only they are buying weapons,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky said the US has been able to facilitate some measured progress in recent trilateral talks, with the militaries of the US, Ukraine and Russia agreeing “how monitoring would work after a cease-fire” — should one occur.
He also said Kyiv and Moscow agreed on a “huge” number of prisoners of war to turn over to one another in a future exchange, but he declined to say how many.
An answer is expected in “a week to 10 days” when he expects another round of trilateral talks to occur, Zelensky said.
Kyiv has been open to all cease-fire suggestions since Trump first called for an unconditional end to the killing in March of last year. However, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has consistently resisted a lasting end to the firing.
The strain of four years of war has also taken a personal toll on Zelensky, once known as a high-energy comedian before entering politics. Now, he said, he feels “older and wiser.”
Asked how the war has changed him, Zelensky said the past four years have been consumed by “only serious things.”
“Personally, I have been without friends,” he said. “I don’t have time for friends or friendship.”
