Zelenskyy is preparing for negotiations, — media

Zelenskyy is preparing for negotiations, — media

With five weeks remaining until the presidential election in the U.S., where the stakes include future arms supplies, financial aid, and diplomatic support to Kyiv provided by the Democratic Party, the war in Ukraine reaches a decisive moment. At this time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to present his peace plan, preparing for the worst-case scenario — the possible return of Donald Trump to power, and also, should Kamala Harris win, to have the possibility of achieving the quickest possible end to the war. This is reported by the Spanish newspaper El Pais.

In an editorial article, journalists note that after two and a half years of war, Ukraine has reached the limit of its capabilities, preparing for winter with severe power restrictions due to Russian bombings. Despite the resilience of Ukrainians, their morale begins to wane. International pressure on negotiation issues, "in which Ukraine will have to make painful concessions," is also increasing.

According to Zelenskyy, for negotiations to start, Ukraine needs "something that will change the rules of the game for Russia to conclude peace." One such attempt was the Ukrainian army’s offensive in the Kursk region. However, this operation did not lead to an immediate desire by Vladimir Putin to start negotiations. To change the rules of the game, Kyiv calls on its allies to allow it to use long-range missiles to strike Russia, provided by the West, and ensure guarantees of further military support, financial assistance, and NATO support, which Ukraine aspires to join.

Zelenskyy’s tour of America, particularly his meeting with Trump, showed that the path would not be easy. Some Republicans accused the Ukrainian president of interfering in American elections, and Trump’s sympathies for Putin and his skeptical attitude toward Ukraine are well-known, although it was hypocritically concealed during their meeting at Trump Tower in New York, journalists believe.

The initial reaction of the White House on the issue of Ukraine’s freedom of action regarding an attack on Russia within its own borders was ambiguous. It’s about a balance between deterrence and preventing conflict escalation.

In turn, Putin preemptively raised the tone of his threats of a hypothetical nuclear response to any strikes on Russia carried out using weapons provided to Kyiv by nuclear powers — the U.S., the U.K., and France.

"The war, which has reached a stalemate, has entered its most dangerous stage. The future of Ukraine, as well as all of Europe, is at risk if the allies simply succumb to the aggressor’s blackmail. Zelenskyy, realizing this, knows that peace requires concessions from both sides. But the security and maintenance of a free and sovereign Ukraine is an issue on which there can be no compromise," the authors of the material conclude.