KYIV: Kyiv on Wednesday called on the United States to pressure Russia into ending its invasion of Ukraine, saying Washington's ceasefire agreement with Iran showed the success of US "decisiveness."
"American decisiveness works. We believe it is time for sufficient decisiveness to force Moscow to cease fire and end its war against Ukraine," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on social media.
President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed those comments in a later post on social media.
"Ukraine has always called for a ceasefire in the war waged by Russia here in Europe against our state and our people, and we support the ceasefire in the Middle East and the Gulf that paves the way for diplomatic efforts," he wrote.
He added that Ukrainian military teams helping Middle East countries counter Iranian drone attacks would stay in the region even after the United States and Iran agreed to a two week ceasefire.
Kyiv says it has deployed more than 200 military personnel with expertise in downing drones to the region since Iran began retaliatory drone attacks across the Middle East in response to US and Israeli attacks.
"Ukrainian expert military teams will continue to work in the region to help further develop security capabilities," Zelensky wrote on social media.
"The situation in this region has global implications -- any threats to security and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf amplify challenges for the economy and the cost of living in every country," he added.
He reiterated readiness to pause strikes on Russian infrastructure if Moscow halted its long-range drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian power plants and grid.
"Ukraine tells Russia once again: we are ready to respond in kind if the Russians stop their strikes. It is obvious to everyone that a ceasefire can create the right preconditions for agreements," Zelensky wrote.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022 has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions, making it the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.