The conflict has entered a "complicated period" - says Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that retaking parts of Ukrainian territory may have to be achieved through diplomatic means rather than military force.

In an interview with Japanese news agency Kyodo News, Zelensky said it is difficult to forcefully retake some of the Russian-occupied parts of his country, including the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as things stand. , foreign media write, Telegraph reports.

"Our army lacks the strength to do this. This is true", Zelensky is quoted as saying. "We must find a diplomatic solution."

He emphasized that such steps can be considered "only when we know that we are strong enough" to prevent Russia from launching a new aggression against Ukraine.

Zelensky's comments show a shift from his long-held position that his country will fight to retake all territory captured by Russia.

Zelensky has called on the outgoing Joe Biden administration to help persuade NATO members to invite Ukraine to join the alliance as Russia continues to make gains on the battlefield.

He said that the conflict has entered a "complicated period".

In October, he unveiled a so-called victory plan, which contains a step that some key Western allies have so far refused to accept: inviting Ukraine to join NATO before the end of the war. /Telegraph/