The president was speaking during the opening ceremony of Cyprus’ EU Council presidency, which will last the first two quarters of the year.
“We note that negotiations have hit a new milestone together with our European partners and, of course, the United States and all members of the Coalition of the Willing,” said Zelenskyy.
“We understand that this war could end during your [Cyprus’] presidency.”
He added that international sanctions on Russia must continue and that Ukraine needs sustained support from its allies.
“A new [sanctions] package is in the works, and many steps are being taken to strangle Russia’s shadow fleet [of oil tankers], because every dollar Russia loses is a loss for it as an aggressor,” Zelenskyy said.
Earlier on Jan. 7, Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Paris agreed to further contacts at the top level and discussed key elements of a plan to end the war.
“We held another round of consultations with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Ambassador [to France] Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum. It was the third meeting with the American side in two days in Paris,” he said.
During the Jan. 6 Coalition of the Willing summit, Ukraine, France, and the UK signed declaration of intent on the post-war development of a Franco-British force on Ukrainian soil, serving as a deterrent against further Russian aggression.