Is Ukraine preparing for another 2–3 years of war? Presidential Office responds

Recently, The Economist published a report claiming that Ukraine is preparing for another 2–3 years of war with Russia. Ukrainian authorities deny those claims.

This was reported by sources in the government speaking to RBC-Ukraine and sources in the Office of the President speaking to TSN.

Is Ukraine really preparing for another 2–3 years of war?

The report in question was published by The Economist, whose journalists claimed that Ukraine is allegedly preparing to continue fighting Russia for another 2–3 years. According to the article, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had supposedly instructed officials to plan state actions with that timeframe in mind.

The article also claimed that a previously discussed US-mediated peace deal, which reportedly involved Ukraine giving up part of Donbas in exchange for security guarantees, is no longer being considered after Russian president Vladimir Putin allegedly rejected the proposal. Journalists further stated that the United States announced on May 22 that it would stop participating in the negotiations.

The key conclusion of the report, which triggered strong backlash and a response from the Office of the President, was that the war in Ukraine would continue until one of the sides runs out of resources.

Sources within the government, including the Office of the President, described the article as «an old narrative being recycled.» This was stated by presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn in comments to journalists.

«Maybe someone needed to use this text as a vehicle for other messages about how everything is supposedly bad, ” he added.

Lytvyn also said that during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with the ruling Servant of the People faction, the president stressed the need to focus on the next six months, through November.

Another informed source also denied The Economist report in comments to Interfax-Ukraine. «That is not true, ” the source said.