In an interview with BILD, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov stated that he believes in the end of the war in Ukraine this year.

 "I'm optimistic. I see the situation on the battlefield, I see the development of support, and I really see that there is a chance that this war will end with our victory this year. I am seriously considering it, I know a lot about what is going on, and it inspires "I am optimistic. An optimist is an informed realist," the head of the Ministry of Defense notes.

 He also sees no threat of tactical nuclear weapons from Russia, since Moscow has received a clear signal from China and India about nuclear weapons.

 "This is a bluff, I know Russians. The use of nuclear weapons will not give them what they want," Reznikov explained.

 When asked what will happen if Ukraine loses even more territories, the minister answered: "It happened in 2014. They (Russians - ed.) occupied Crimea, they occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in 2022 they occupied Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions, and we cleared these territories. The only scenario for the future is the liberation of all our temporarily occupied territories. To our internationally recognized borders of 1991".

 In an interview with the newspaper, the Minister of Defense also talked about the discussion with partners on the topic of negotiations with Moscow, and, in particular, with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.