Selenskyj hopes the “hot phase” of the war between Ukraine and Russia will end by the end of this year

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new interview that he hopes the “hot phase” of the ongoing war with Russia will end in 2024 – with the help of the war-torn country’s Western allies.

“I believe that if we are united and follow, for example, the peace summit format, we can end the hot phase of the war,” Zelensky told the BBC, adding: “We can try to achieve this by the end of this year.”

Zelensky did not elaborate on what that might mean, but said it would be a two-pronged approach.

“This does not mean that all territories will be recaptured by force,” he added. “I think the power of diplomacy can help. By putting pressure on Russia, I think it is possible to agree to a diplomatic solution.”

A day before his phone call with former President Donald Trump, Zelensky spoke to the BBC.

Trump assured Zelensky that he would “bring peace to the world” and “end the war” if he was re-elected in November.

Separately, on Friday a gunman killed former Ukrainian MP Iryna Farion in broad daylight on the street in the western city of Lviv.

The 60-year-old far-right politician, described in some reports as “controversial,” survived the initial shooting but later died in a nearby hospital.

According to reports, she was best known for promoting the Ukrainian language.

Zelensky said it was too early to rule out Russian involvement in the assassination.

The shooter is still at large and the murder investigation is ongoing.

Finally, a new report revealed that the failure of American and European politicians to improve the defense industry has tipped the ongoing conflict in Russia’s favor.

The soldiers at the front are fighting mostly without 155-millimeter artillery shells, which means that Ukraine is inferior in weaponry to its aggressors.

The grenade complies with NATO standards and can be used in a variety of field guns.

The report attributes the current ammunition shortage to failures and missteps in 2014, after Russia’s violent occupation of Crimea.

With wire reports