Zelensky wrapped up his trip to Western Europe...It's a tough road to go even with additional Group 2 support.

[Anchor]
Amid the protracted war in Ukraine, President Zelensky wrapped up his trip to Western Europe appealing for Western support.

Some achievements have been made, such as meeting the pope and asking him to work on the release of prisoners of war and receiving a promise from Germany of 2 trillion won in additional aid, but the road to peace still seems to be rough.

Reporter Kim Ji-young reports.

[Reporter]
Russian forces continue to carry out well over 100 attacks in eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk.

Missile attacks targeting Odesa in southern Ukraine have also led to civilian casualties.

In the meantime, President Zelenskyy asked Western Europe for support, saying he hopes the endless war with Russia will end next year.

[President Volodymyr Zelensky / President of Ukraine] In other words, how can we end this war by 2025 at the latest and ensure that the invasion does not repeat itself?]

German Chancellor Scholz responded with an additional military aid package worth 2 trillion won, saying he would stand firmly by Ukraine.

[Olaf Scholz / German Chancellor: By the end of the year, we will be providing Ukraine with an additional military aid package worth about $1.4 billion with the support of our partners Belgium, Denmark and Norway.]

Earlier, President Zelensky met with Pope Francis at the Vatican,

Revealed Russia's request for the release of detained Ukrainian prisoners of war.

[Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Ukra President: Releasing our citizens detained in Russia is a very sensitive issue for many families, soldiers and civilians in Ukraine, children and adults alike]

In particular, the Pope drew attention by presenting a bronze work engraved with the phrase "Peace is a fragile flower," and Zelensky presented an oil painting depicting the "Bucha Massacre."

However, the path to peace in Ukraine still has no end in sight, with a meeting scheduled to be held with the leaders of 20 Western countries postponed due to the absence of U.S. President Biden.

I'm Kim Jiyoung of YTN.



Video editing: Ahn Hong-hyun