(Kyiv) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted to “do everything” to achieve an end to the war in his country in 2025 by “diplomatic means”, the recent victory of Donald Trump in the American presidential election having relaunched the debate on the negotiations.
Posted at 9:34 a.m.
Victoria LUKOVENKO and Sergii VOLSKYI
Agence France-Presse
In an interview broadcast on Saturday, Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke of a “really complicated” situation on the eastern front, where the Russian army is progressing rapidly against fewer and less well-armed Ukrainian troops.
“We must do everything to ensure that this war ends next year. We must end it by diplomatic means,” he said in an interview with Ukrainian radio.
He estimated that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was seeking to break out of his “political isolation” by speaking to leaders. But “Putin doesn’t want peace at all,” he said.
The debate on possible peace negotiations, long brushed aside by Volodymyr Zelensky, has intensified in recent weeks against a backdrop of rapid Russian advances in Donbass (East) and Western procrastination on the military aid to be provided to Kyiv.
The Russian and Ukrainian positions nevertheless remain opposed: Kyiv excludes the cession of territories occupied by the Russian army, while Moscow sets it as a condition.
Asked about the conditions necessary for the opening of negotiations, Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that this would only be possible if “Ukraine is not alone with Russia” and if it is “strong”, in a strong call to its Western partners.
If we only speak with [Vladimir] Putin, that with a murderer, and we find ourselves in the current conditions, not reinforced by some important elements, I think that Ukraine is losing out in these negotiations.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President
According to him, this would not lead to “a just end” for the war, triggered almost three years ago by the Russian invasion of February 2022.
The G7 countries estimated on Saturday that Russia remained “the only obstacle to a just and lasting peace”.
“We remain united alongside Ukraine,” they assured in a statement released by Italy, which chairs the G7 this year.
But Kyiv fears losing U.S. support, essential for its army, after Republican Donald Trump’s victory in November’s presidential election.
The latter has often criticized the aid provided by his country and assured that he could resolve the conflict in “24 hours” without ever detailing his method.
Volodymyr Zelensky fears being forced into negotiations unfavorable to Ukraine.
On Friday, the leader estimated that the war would end “sooner” under the Republican’s presidency, while praising his contacts with him, during an interview with the Ukrainian media Suspilne.
“Destabilization”
The West is worried about the entry of North Korean troops into the conflict. They are engaged in combat alongside Russian soldiers, according to Kyiv and Washington, with the Kremlin evading questions on this subject.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, visiting Ukraine on Saturday, said North Korean participation would have an “extremely significant” impact on the security of East Asia.
PHOTO VALENTYN OGIRENKO, REUTERS
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visit the memorial wall of Ukraine’s fallen defenders outside St. Michael’s Cathedral, Kyiv, November 16, 2024.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Takeshi Iwaya, asserted in his daily speech that “Russia is teaching modern warfare to North Korea, which can lead to broader destabilization.”
The Russian army is advancing against the Ukrainian troops, because the resupply of weapons and new recruits is “slow”, explained the Ukrainian president, while emphasizing Moscow’s heavy human losses.
The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed Saturday the capture of two new villages in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian army launched a major attack against the Russian border region of Kursk in August, seizing several hundred square kilometers, an argument that Kyiv had said it wanted to use, ultimately, to put pressure on Moscow during possible discussions.
