Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Ukraine is prepared to continue fighting for another two to three years, though he hopes the conflict will not drag on for a decade, The Sunday Times reported.

Tusk, commenting on his conversation with Zelensky, said he had no doubt that Ukraine would survive as an independent state. The key question now, he noted, was how many lives the ongoing war would still claim. According to the Polish leader, Zelensky expressed hope that the conflict would not last ten years, but assured him that Ukraine was ready to keep fighting if necessary.

The Polish prime minister also warned that even a formal peace deal between Moscow and Kiev would not necessarily bring lasting stability. In his view, such an agreement could lead to what he described as a «permanent war» until the situation inside Russia changes.

Tusk called on European nations to step up support for Ukraine, proposing that frozen Russian assets be transferred to Kyiv to sustain its war effort.

Earlier, on October 20, Zelensky said he sensed the conflict was approaching a possible turning point, though a quick resolution remained unlikely. He also remarked that U. S. President Donald Trump, encouraged by his role in Middle East diplomacy, now wanted to help end the Ukrainian crisis.

On October 26, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the conflict as «extremely complex», stressing that it could not be resolved in a short period of time.