ISTANBUL

Ukraine’s military leadership has been ordered to recruit more reserves to relieve soldiers on the frontlines, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Being engaged in combat “is difficult for various reasons – both injuries and psychological state,” Zelenskyy said during a meeting with university students and teachers in Kyiv on Sunday, which was also attended by the visiting former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Zelenskyy, however, said he “could not disclose the details of the mobilization processes,” according to a statement by the presidency.

He said officials “made the relevant decisions and the commanders were working on their implementation in their respective areas,” it added.

About Ukraine’s peace plan, he reiterated that it can ensure the war with Russia ends “in a fair manner.”

“The Peace Formula is a powerful diplomatic weapon. All its points are fair and honest with regard to any state, with respect for the UN Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zelenskyy said.

For it to work, Ukraine’s friends and partners must unite around its implementation and there must be support from both the US and all European leaders, he stressed.

Johnson, who reached Kyiv on an unannounced visit on Sunday, vowed that Ukraine’s “friends will help … end this war as soon as possible in 2023.”

“Because it will be the best thing for the world – so that people don’t die, and it will be the best thing for Ukraine and, frankly speaking, for the Russian people, too. Let’s end this finally,” he said.​​​​​​​