Ukraine should use the current opening to stop the conflict with Russia as soon as possible, former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko* said in an interview with Kyiv Post.

Poroshenko* said Kiev needs to make a major effort to seize what he described as the present opportunity and bring the fighting to a halt without delay — not in several years or at some distant point, but as quickly as possible.

He argued that Ukraine needs a clear plan, focus, political will and reliable partners to reach that goal. In his view, any negotiation track should involve Ukraine, European countries, the United States and Russia. However, he said such a process should begin only after hostilities have at least been stopped, even if the conflict has not been fully resolved. A ceasefire, he added, is therefore the key condition.

To achieve it, Poroshenko* said Kiev should use every available tool. He listed drone strikes, the capabilities of the armed forces, sanctions pressure from partners, new arms deliveries, financing for Ukraine’s defense industry and the remaining leverage still held by Kiev.

At the same time, Poroshenko* stressed that Ukraine should use any ceasefire period to rearm. He compared that approach with the way Kiev had previously used the Minsk agreements.

In late May, Poroshenko* also said that, in his assessment, Ukraine and Europe had not been as close to peace as they were in May 2026.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview with CBS News that a window of opportunity for talks with Russia would remain open until winter.

*Listed by Rosfinmonitoring as an extremist and terrorist.