President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that it is impossible to stop the military conflict in eastern Ukraine without direct talks with the Russia.

“We must tell the truth that we will not stop the war without direct talks with Russia. To date, all external partners acknowledge this. All external partners have acknowledged, while the internal do not acknowledge. And we must speak, knowing that we have a strong and powerful army“, - Zelensky said in his annual address to the Verkhovna Rada.

Ukrainians want to return Donbas, so dialogue is needed, the President added.

“The war in Donbas has been going on for 8 years. 8 years have passed since Russia annexed Crimea. I’m not afraid to tell everyone and speak directly to Russians about this. So at the same time, I’m not afraid to talk directly with them. We are not afraid of direct dialogue. We know which European countries support us, and it’s true, and we thank them, and which European countries pretend they support Ukraine and our independence”, - added Volodymyr Zelensky.