Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied on Saturday that his country's war with Russia had reached a "stalemate", after a senior Ukrainian commander suggested this week that the conflict was deadlocked.

"Today, time has passed and people are tired... But this is not a stalemate," Zelensky said during a press conference in Kyiv with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Zelensky said Saturday that the conflict between Israel and Gaza in the Middle East had taken focus away from the war in Ukraine.

"Of course, it's clear that the war in the Middle East, this conflict, is taking away the focus," Zelensky said in a press conference with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.