Ukraine needs either plan for strategic breakthrough or way to end war - politician

He expressed this opinion on the Espreso TV channel.

"At the front, as Zaluzhnyi wrote last fall, a trench war continues. Both sides have no serious tools to break through the front. We are paying with the lives of our soldiers and have the advantage of their heroism, resilience and the fact that we are on our own land, as well as Western assistance. The Russians have the advantage of their willingness to give their lives for the tsar, the guided bombs, and a lot of shells. In this situation, it becomes obvious that there is a need to stop this form of war. Either to find a form of strategic advantage and win back our lands, or to think about how to end this war, gain time and build stronger Armed Forces," Lutsenko said.

The politician added that Ukraine should strengthen its position before possible negotiations with Russia.

"At this point, both sides are acting in the same way. In particular, they declare their desires. Putin has said that he will never agree to less than 4 Ukrainian regions. At a speech in Paris, Zelenskyy repeated the 1991 borders. Someday he will start negotiations with Russia, because any war ends with talks. However, before that, each side is trying to become stronger, and Putin is doing a lot in this regard. At the same time, Ukraine is organizing a Peace Summit, where the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory was not even mentioned," he added.

• On June 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian armed forces were not going to advance to Kharkiv. However, he said that attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw Russian troops from the Kharkiv region would be "costly" for Ukraine.