International Desk

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said that Ukraine would need to fight next year to bolster its position both militarily and ahead of any talks to end Russia's three-year-long invasion.

The Ukrainian leader's address caps a difficult year for the war-battered country that has been fending off a better-resourced Russian army for nearly three years.

The country lost seven times more territory to Russia this year than in 2023, according to an AFP analysis, and is facing the possibility of a reduction in US military and political backing when Donald Trump takes over the White House.

"And every day in the coming year, I, and all of us, must fight for a Ukraine that is strong enough. Because only such a Ukraine is respected and heard. Both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table," Zelensky said in an address to the nation.

"May 2025 be our year. The year of Ukraine. We know that peace will not be given to us as a gift, but we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war. This is what each of us wishes for," he added.

US President Joe Biden's administration unveiled almost $6 billion in military and budget aid for Ukraine on Monday in a race to support Kyiv before Trump takes office in January.

The Republican has said he will end the conflict in "24 hours" once in power, raising fears in Ukraine that it will be forced to give up all the land the Kremlin currently controls in exchange for peace.

"I have no doubt that the new American president is willing and capable of achieving peace and ending Putin's aggression," Zelensky said in his address.

In his New Year's Eve address on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not explicitly mention the war in Ukraine but praised Russia's soldiers for their "courage and bravery".