Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that Ukraine seeks an end to the war with Russia but will not accept a “weak” peace agreement that compromises the country’s sovereignty, security, or long-term future.

In a 21-minute New Year’s Eve televised address delivered just before midnight, Zelensky acknowledged the immense exhaustion felt by Ukrainians after nearly four years of conflict, while firmly rejecting any suggestion of surrender or capitulation.

“What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No,” Zelensky said. “We want an end to the war but not the end of Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian leader said that while the nation is deeply fatigued by prolonged fighting, exhaustion does not equate to weakness. “Are we tired? Very,” he said. “Does this mean we are ready to surrender? Anyone who thinks so is deeply mistaken.”

Zelensky warned that any peace deal lacking firm and credible security guarantees would only delay further conflict rather than resolve it. “Any signature placed on weak agreements only fuels the war,” he said, adding that his approval would only be given to a deal that ensures lasting peace. “My signature will be placed on a strong agreement.”

He said ongoing diplomatic efforts are focused on securing a durable settlement that would bring long-term stability rather than a temporary pause in hostilities. “That is exactly what every meeting, every phone call, every decision is about now,” Zelensky said. “To secure a strong peace — not for a day, a week, or two months, but peace for years.”

Zelensky also revealed that negotiations, led largely by the United States, have made substantial progress. Referring to recent diplomatic engagement, including talks last weekend with US President Donald Trump in Florida, he said discussions were nearing completion.

“A peace agreement is 90 per cent ready,” Zelensky said. “That remaining 10 per cent contains everything. It will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine, and the fate of Europe.”

However, he acknowledged that unresolved territorial disputes remain the central obstacle to finalising an agreement. According to Ukrainian media estimates, Russian forces currently occupy around 19 per cent of Ukrainian territory, primarily in the eastern and southern regions.

Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw entirely from parts of the eastern Donbas region that Russian troops have not fully captured. Zelensky categorically rejected those demands, describing them as deceptive and unacceptable.

“Does anyone still believe them? Unfortunately, yes,” he said. “Too often, lies are called diplomacy and presented in business suits.”

Ukraine, he reiterated, wants any agreement to freeze front lines at their current positions rather than concede additional territory.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a defiant tone in his own New Year address to troops fighting on the front lines. In remarks aired first in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, Putin praised soldiers as “heroes” and expressed confidence that Russia would ultimately prevail in the conflict.

“We believe in you and our victory,” Putin told what he described as Russia’s “fighters and commanders,” as the war entered yet another year with no clear end in sight.