Peace in Donbas can be achieved by political and diplomatic means – Zelensky

He said this at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Toronto on Tuesday, July 2.

"Bringing peace to Ukraine was the first issue we discussed with Mr. Trudeau. I am convinced that we will achieve real progress only via political and diplomatic means. And in the end, we will force Russia to stop the escalation, establish a permanent ceasefire, ensure the disengagement of forces and the release of all Ukrainian captives," Zelensky said.

According to him, an effective tool for that is the continuation of the sanctions policy.

"We understand when international partners say they are losing money, but, excuse me, we have lost our territories and are losing our people," the president said.

In this context, he thanked the Canadian government, which, he said, understands such a position and is consolidating the international community to support Ukraine.

President Zelensky is on a working visit to Toronto on July 1-3.

op