Zelensky declared the impossibility of a military victory

Neither Russia nor Ukraine will be able to win the conflict on the battlefield, Vladimir Zelensky said during a press conference following a meeting with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. Zelensky's press service broadcast the conversation with journalists on YouTube.

"It seems to me that today it is clear that neither side will win with weapons on the battlefield in this war. Russia wanted this, but could not, and in Ukraine was not believed, but it proved it and defended its independence," the President of Ukraine said.

According to Zelensky, the transition to a diplomatic end to the war should guarantee a just peace for Ukraine.

The politician noted that Kiev was not invited to a meeting between Moscow and Washington in Saudi Arabia. During these negotiations, no one raised the issue of prisoner exchange, Zelensky stressed.

According to him, Kiev wants the end of the war more than anyone.

Zelensky arrived in Ankara on February 18. The negotiations of his delegation with Turkish colleagues lasted three hours.

February 18 in Saudi Arabia held talks between Russia and the United States. The parties discussed, among other things, the beginning of preparations for negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict on Ukraine. According to Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the current situation in Russian-American relations is developing in a unique way and can already be considered a definite success.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt noted that the meeting in Riyadh was a "monumental step" towards peace between Moscow and Kiev.

Against the background of negotiations between Russia and the United States in Riyadh Zelensky said that his visit to Saudi Arabia, scheduled for February 19, will not take place and will be postponed to March.