Zelenskyy: 'No one knows' when Russia-Ukraine conflict will end

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at his annual press conference on Tuesday that "no one knows" when the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end.

"I think that no one knows the answer. Even respected people, our commanders and our Western partners, who say that the war will last many years, they do not know," Zelenskyy told the press conference aired live by Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne.

Commenting on Ukraine's achievements in the conflict in 2023, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine gained a "major victory" in the Black Sea.

"In Ukraine and abroad, everyone can appreciate that the Russian fleet was deprived of their total dominance in the Ukrainian Black Sea," Zelenskyy said, insisting that Russia "hasn't achieved any of its goals" this year.

While speaking on Ukraine's counteroffensive, Zelenskyy said the fact that Ukraine didn't control the sky and didn't have enough ammunition had impacted the military operations in the southern regions this year.

Zelenskyy said that military commanders have offered him to mobilize an additional 450,000 to 500,000 soldiers to participate in Ukraine's defense and potential counteroffensive operations, but the decision on their mobilization has not been approved yet.

Ukrainian troops have been trying to recapture territories taken by Russia since Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Both sides treat their casualty numbers as a state secret, but U.S. officials estimate that hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded.

Ukraine's troop numbers are not known, but it has said in the past it has around 1 million people under arms. Russia has been expanding its army during the conflict and said on Tuesday it planned to boost its ranks to 1.5 million service members.

Kyiv has received military aid worth tens of billions of dollars from Western countries. In June, it has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces with the long term goal of breaching the front lines, but the campaign has failed to bear fruit.

Asked about the prospects of joining parts of Ukraine to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Zelenskyy said the option is out of the table due to certain risks.

Zelenskyy also noted that Kyiv has not received any official proposals regarding the "partial accession" to the alliance.

Commenting on strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, Zelenskyy said that soon his country will receive several new Patriot air defense systems and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems from its partners.

Besides, next year, Ukraine plans to produce about 1 million drones, Zelenskyy said.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)