Zelenskyy says Ukraine has given proposals to US for ending war

Urges Washington to boost air defence, pressure Moscow as peace talks remain stalled

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country has given the United States proposals for ending the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“We passed our proposals to the American side,” he said in an address on Tuesday evening. “America can help strengthen our defence, first and foremost through air defence, and it can put pressure on Russia so that its plans change – from prolonging the war to preparing to end it,” Zelenskyy added.

His remarks come amid a halt in US-mediated peace efforts as the Russia-Ukraine war entered its fifth year. Under US mediation, Russia and Ukraine held three rounds of peace talks this January and February in a bid to find a settlement for the war.

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However, negotiations have since paused, with Moscow and Kyiv attributing the halt to the US focus on Iran and the armed conflict in the Middle East, which began on February 28.

The Ukrainian president also claimed, citing a report from his country’s intelligence, that Russia plans to call up more troops following elections in September. “He (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wants to create the impression that Russians supposedly support the war," Zelenskyy said.

And then, after the so-called elections, he plans an additional rapid mobilisation of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus just as many more next year. This will be on top of the recruitment they are trying to carry out through contract enlistment,” he said.

Putin gave his nod for a partial military mobilisation in the country back in 2022, under which 300,000 recruits were enlisted to the army.

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Ukraine has since periodically claimed Russia would launch a new wave of mobilisation. Russian officials have denied these claims, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying in March that this topic is “not on the agenda.”

Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said last month that there is "no need for mobilisation" in the country, describing statements on the topic as "false provocation" and "propaganda."