Zelensky’s turn towards negotiation – ISNA

According to Isna, the American media in an article referring to the occurrence of drastic changes in the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about negotiations with Russia, reported that it seems that Kiev has backed away from trying to take back all its territories.

According to the Washington Post, while Ukrainian forces on the battlefield struggle to resist the Russian army and US President-elect Donald Trump seeks to broker a peace deal, Zelensky has shown more willingness to negotiate an end to the war in recent weeks. And apparently, it has backed down from its position to take back control of all areas of Ukraine.

Zelensky’s messages are carefully crafted. Although he has not said outright that he would agree to concessions, territorial or otherwise, these days he is more concerned with meeting Ukraine’s long-term security needs than pushing back on Russian forces.

According to the American media, the obvious change in Zelensky’s tone about the end of the war came from the escalation of tensions on the front lines and Trump’s victory in the US presidential election; Because Trump has put the continuation of Washington’s arms support to Kiev in an aura of uncertainty.

From “taking back all areas” to “lasting peace”

Zelensky, who in the past said that it is not possible to negotiate an end to the war until the last Russian soldier leaves Ukraine, these days he emphasizes on “lasting peace” and his main priority is to ensure his country’s membership in NATO and possibly the presence of Western peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. .

Officials and analysts say Zelensky is trying to make sure his country doesn’t walk away from the talks empty-handed, but his shift in tone overall reflects his effort to get closer to Trump’s positions in support of the ceasefire.

“Michael McFaul,” the former US ambassador to Russia, who is the co-chair of the international sanctions task force against Russia, says: “The Zelensky administration knows that the situation will change in the Trump administration.”

However, the analyst says that Zelensky is not too upset about Trump’s victory, because now he can blame Trump for his inability to fulfill his promise to liberate the Ukrainian territories and say that Washington did not allow this promise to be fulfilled.

Emphasizing the need for Ukraine to join NATO, Zelenskiy recently said that the territories now under the control of Russian forces can be returned to Ukrainian soil “diplomatically” later. These statements are, in fact, his most prominent admission that Kiev will probably have to make territorial concessions to Russia, at least in the short term.

The closed doors of NATO and the concern of Europe

Although Zelensky has given up his wish to take back all areas of Ukraine, NATO diplomats say that Kyiv’s membership in this military alliance is still a distant prospect, because members such as Germany and the United States have concerns about it, and some members such as Hungary are completely against Ukraine’s membership. are against

However, a senior NATO diplomat says that despite Western reluctance, Zelensky cannot give up on asking for security guarantees from the West.

In addition, the Washington Post, citing the statements of some analysts, claimed that Kiev may be trying to guarantee the continuation of Washington’s arms support by supporting the negotiations. According to these experts, Russia does not intend to enter the negotiations and Kiev is aware of this issue. Therefore, Ukraine wants to ultimately increase US arms support by apparently going along with Trump’s request for negotiations.

Ukraine’s European allies are also worried about a sharp reduction in arms support to Kiev after Trump took office, and they fear that Kiev will be forced to negotiate with Russia in a weakened state.

Politicians across Europe are also considering doubling their defense budgets, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that members of the alliance must adapt to a wartime mindset and prepare to face potential threats from Russia.

Rutte recently said: “The first step we need to take is for Zelensky to be able to negotiate from a position of power; But now the Russians are advancing. “Zelensky doesn’t need a new plan, he wants ammunition.”

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