Ukraine war 'could end tomorrow' if Zelenskyy shows 'political will': Kremlin official

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate, with no signs of a cease-fire on both sides, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that the Ukraine war could "end tomorrow" if Ukraine leadership showed "political will." Peskov also stated that there will be no further annexations of Ukrainian territories, for the time being, reported Interfax news agency. If Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy had that desire, a meeting to discuss the end of the war could take place, he added.

Zelenskyy knows when all this can end: Kremlin official says

"Zelenskyy knows when all this can end: it can end tomorrow if that's what he wants." Peskov further noted that there will be no annexation of the new territories in the areas captured by the Russian forces and said, "There are no communiqués on this issue. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to liberate these territories."

"We know that in a large number of new regions of Russia there are occupied territories that have to be liberated," and maintained that the objective of Russian forces is "to protect the population living in the southeast of Ukraine, in the Donbas." He further said, "To protect these people, the territories have to be formed, so they had to be annexed with a referendum. This is what President Vladimir Putin has been talking about."

The Kremlin official further stressed that the Russian troops still have "a lot of work ahead of them to liberate" the territories of eastern and southern Ukraine, which Russia claims to be it's own. Peskov echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had earlier stated that the war in Ukraine would be a "long process."

Russia Ukraine war: Over 93,000 Kremlin troops killed since Feb 24, says Ukraine

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces have claimed that over 93,000 Russian soldiers have been executed since the start of the war. Whereas in the last 24 hours, a total of 340 Russian soldiers have been killed, the Ukrainian forces said in a Facebook post. Ukraine also claimed that at least two tanks, two armoured personnel vehicles, and two artillery systems had been destroyed. Two drones, which had been used to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure, were also taken down, it said. However, Moscow has denied such claims and said that there have been much fewer losses in its "special operation" in Ukraine.

Image: AP