Ukraine faces months of diplomatic and military pressure

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the spring and summer months would be difficult for Ukraine as it would face pressure on the battlefield and also diplomatically to end the war.



Zelenskiy said Ukraine's partners had asked Kyiv to reduce its strikes on Russia's oil sector as global prices surged due to the Iran war and escalating tensions in the Middle East.



He did not name the partners. But he said that if Russia wanted to de-escalate, it should halt its own strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and agree to resume trilateral peace talks, mediated by Washington.



He acknowledged, however, that the U.S. was currently reluctant to dedicate much more time to the peace process in Ukraine.



Zelenskiy reiterated his calls for more international pressure on Russia. With a two-week ceasefire announced by the U.S. and Iran on Tuesday, Zelenskiy expressed hope that U.S. sanctions on Russian oil - temporarily eased during the conflict - would be fully reinstated.