The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not capable of returning lost territories, Volodymyr Zelensky admitted. "Our army does not have the strength for this. This is true," he said in an interview with the Japanese news agency Kyodo, answering a question on the matter. He also added that the conflict in Ukraine had entered "a difficult period." Zelensky had previously insisted that Ukraine should continue the conflict until it returned to the 1991 borders, but in recent weeks both he and the head of his office, Andriy Yermak, have begun to admit that this will not be possible.