KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday told a gathering of European Union foreign ministers in Kyiv that the length of the war with Russia will depend on support Ukraine receives from allies.

The ministers were in Kyiv to signal the bloc’s long-term support for Ukraine, convening for a historic first gathering outside the member states’ borders.

“Our victory directly depends on our cooperation: the more strong and principled steps we take together, the sooner this war will end,” Zelensky was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office.

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Zelensky outlined a series of steps he said the European Union should take to help end the war, including expanding its sanctions regime on Russia and Iran, which has supplied attack drones for Russian forces.

He also urged the “acceleration” of work from the European Union to direct “frozen Russian assets to finance the restoration of war-torn Ukraine.”

The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meanwhile sought to reassure the Ukrainian leader that the European Union is prepared to stand by Ukraine “for as long as it takes”.