Ukrainian President Zelenskyy appears open to a peace meeting that includes Russia, which would be a significant change of position. #NEWS #Diplomacy
After two years of war, Zelenskyy now appears open to negotiating with Putin, though not on Moscow’s terms
Ukraine would consider inviting Russian officials to peace talks discussing Kyiv’s proposal for a negotiated end to the war, according to Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff.
“There can be a situation in which we together invite representatives of the Russian Federation, where they will be presented with the plan in case whoever is representing the aggressor country at that time will want to genuinely end this war and return to a just peace,” Yermak said over the weekend, noting that one more round of talks without Russia will first be held in Switzerland.
The comment represents a subtle shift in Ukrainian messaging about talks. Kyiv has long argued that it would never negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The shift underscores the dire situation with the Ukrainian military, shortages and battlefield losses. Putin's re-election chances look ever more likely, and that realization, alng with Ukraine’s military problems, may have helped push Kyiv to reconsider its hard line on talking with the Russians.
Analysts of the Ukraine conflict have changed their sentiments on its chances to win the conflict:
“Complete victory for Ukraine is now an obvious impossibility,” Lieven and Beebe wrote this week in Responsible Statecraft. “Any end to the fighting will therefore end in some form of compromise, and the longer we wait, the worse the terms of that compromise will be for Ukraine, and the greater the dangers will be for our countries and the world.”
Turkey, which negotiated the initial draft peace deal in 2022, is ready to assist again with negotiations and hopes for a peace deal soon. Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan met with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to express support for a "ceasefire" soon.
Zelenskyy hinted at Saudi Arabia as a potential lead negotiator.
According to a statement from Ukrainian officials, “Saudi Arabia’s leadership can help find a just solution.”
For its part, Russia has never ruled out peace talks of some sort, although both Kyiv and Moscow insist that any negotiations must be conducted on their terms. The gaps between the starting negotiating positions of the two countries are large and have so far prevented any talks from starting since the failed peace talks in Ankara in March 2022.
Zelenskyy said Sunday that he expects Russia to mount a new offensive as soon as late May. Given the dire situation on the battlefield, it’s unclear whether Ukrainian troops are prepared to stop such a move.
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