Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says there is now a good chance to end war

(Reuters)

KYIV, March 14- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that he saw a good chance to end the war with Russia after Ukraine accepted a U.S. proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire and Moscow said it would only agree if certain conditions were met.

“Right now, we have a good chance to end this war quickly and secure peace. We have solid security understandings with our European partners,” Zelenskiy said on X.

“We are now close to the first step in ending any war – silence,” he said, referring to a truce.

Speaking to reporters, Zelenskiy urged the U.S. and other allies to apply pressure on Moscow, reiterating his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin will delay reaching a ceasefire as long as possible.

“If there is a strong response from the United States, they will not let them play around. And if there are steps that Russia is not afraid of, they will delay the process,” Zelenskiy told media.

He said that the ceasefire along a more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) frontline could be controlled with U.S. help via satellites and intelligence. Washington resumed intelligence sharing and military aid after U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia this week and Ukraine accepted the ceasefire.