Without US pressure on Russia, there will be no quick end to war – ex-foreign minister

He shared this view during a program on Radio NV, according to Ukrinform.

"Let's be realistic and objectively assess what is happening: there are no quick solutions regarding the end of Russia's war against Ukraine," Ohryzko said.

"If the United States does not supply us with all the necessary weapons to resolve the issue militarily and does not impose tough sanctions against the Russian banking system and enforce secondary sanctions, then the resolution will be postponed indefinitely," he added.

Ohryzko advised people to "remain calm" in response to statements by U.S. officials claiming that Russia and Ukraine are "close to signing a peace agreement," noting that there have been numerous such statements, promising an agreement "very soon," "tomorrow," or "within a week."

"When [the Trump administration] outlines its priorities for the next 100 days, and 'resolving the Ukrainian crisis' is among them, that means there are no specific timeframes," he said.

The diplomat also expressed skepticism that the U.S. would actually begin exerting real pressure on Russia, arguing that Trump continues seeking a deal with Putin.

"He [Trump] doesn't want to pressure Russia into anything. Why? That's a difficult question- we can't solve it at this moment," Ohryzko said.

Earlier reports said that Trump and his administration were set to summarize the achievements of their first 100 days in office this week and present upcoming plans, with a focus on trade agreements and peace negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that this week would be "critical" in addressing the Russia-Ukraine war.

Recently, President Trump said that Russia and Ukraine were "very close" to signing a peace agreement and that they should meet "at very high levels" to finalize the process.