Can there be a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of this year - opinion of European defence commissioner

This was stated by European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

According to the official, peace requires the implementation of the concept of "peace through strength" - relying on Ukraine's own capabilities. He noted that the USA and Europe supported this very approach at the beginning of the war, as diplomatic efforts did not yield the expected result.

Kubilius stressed that Moscow did not show interest in negotiations despite the efforts of the US administration to persuade Russia to engage in dialogue. According to him, it is the Russian president's position that remains the key obstacle.

"Putin does not want peace. He is sure that he is winning, and therefore now we can not talk about ending the war," - said the European Commissioner.

Earlier it was reported that Ukraine in March supported the US proposal for a temporary ceasefire for 30 days. However, Russia refused and put forward obviously unacceptable conditions, including the cessation of Western military aid to Kiev, lifting of sanctions and refusal to mobilize.