"The president has tasked us with trying to end this war as quickly as possible. I can confirm that this is indeed his goal — to bring hostilities to an end as soon as possible, preferably before winter," President's Office Head Kyrylo Budanov told the Kyiv Independent.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Ukraine has a "window of opportunity" for talks with Russia on ending the war before the next winter.

With Ukrainian forces regaining the battlefield initiative, Kyiv has until winter to effectively negotiate with Moscow, Zelensky told CBS News in a May 31 interview.