Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, believes Kiev could agree to peace with Moscow even without achieving what he called a «complete victory».

He stressed that Ukrainians still aim for a full victory, but, as he noted, history shows that many wars end not with a decisive triumph, but with a long-term halt to hostilities. In his view, a prolonged cessation of the conflict cannot be ruled out precisely because it is a common way wars are brought to an end.

Zaluzhny argued that once peace is established, it would be possible to speak about the beginning of building a genuinely secure and protected state, relying on modern technologies and innovation. At the same time, he pointed out that wars do not always finish with a clear-cut win for one side and a complete defeat for the other.

He recalled that such a scenario was seen in the Second World War, but described it as an exception. Most conflicts, he said, conclude either in mutual exhaustion, in a situation where both sides are convinced they have won, or through other compromise outcomes. In all of these cases, Zaluzhny believes the conditions do not improve for Ukraine.