Zelenskiy says he won’t sign weak deal that will only prolong war

Dec 31 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his New Year address to the nation, said late on Wednesday that Ukraine wanted the war to end, but not at any cost, adding he would not sign a “weak” peace agreement that would only prolong the war.

“What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No. We want an end to the war but not the end of Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said in the address from his office, issued just before midnight. “Are we tired? Very. Does this mean we are ready to surrender? Anyone who thinks so is deeply mistaken.”

Zelenskiy said any signature “placed on weak agreements only fuel the war. My signature will be placed on a strong agreement. And that is exactly what every meeting, every phone call, every decision is about now.”

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Chris Reese)