Donald Trump’s recent victory in the US presidential election has reignited the debate on negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. This Saturday, November 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted “do everything” to obtain an end to the war in his country in 2025 by “diplomatic means”.
In an interview broadcast by Ukrainian radio, the head of this country at war for almost three years also spoke of a situation “really complicated” on the eastern front, areas where the Russian army is advancing rapidly, facing fewer and less well-armed Ukrainian troops. The Russian army advances against the Ukrainian troops, as the resupply of weapons and new recruits is «lent», explained the Ukrainian president, while emphasizing the heavy human losses in Moscow.
“We must do everything to ensure that this war ends next year. We must put an end to it by diplomatic means,” he insisted. He also estimated that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was trying to get out of his “political isolation” by talking to leaders, but “Putin doesn’t want peace at all.”
“If we only talk with Putin […] I think Ukraine is losing out on these negotiations.”
The debate on possible peace negotiations, long swept aside by Volodymyr Zelensky, has intensified in recent weeks against a backdrop of rapid Russian advances in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, and Western prevarications on the military aid to be provided to Kyiv. The positions of the two camps nevertheless remain opposed: Ukraine excludes the transfer of territories occupied by the Russian army, while the Kremlin sets it as a condition.
Asked about the conditions necessary for opening negotiations, Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to his Western partners. According to him, the return of talks would only be possible if “Ukraine is not alone with the Russia» and if she is «forte», understand supported by its allies.
“If we only talk with Putin, only with a murderer, and we find ourselves in the current conditions, not reinforced by some important elements, I think that Ukraine loses in these negotiations,” said Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the manager, this would not lead to “a just end” for the war, triggered by the Russian invasion of February 2022.
This Saturday, the G7 countries estimated on Saturday that Russia remained “the only obstacle to a just and lasting peace”. “We stand united to contribute to the fight for sovereignty, freedom, independence, territorial integrity and reconstruction” of Ukraine, indicates a statement released by Italy, which chairs the G7 this year.
Since the victory of Republican Donald Trump in the presidential election in November, one of Kyiv’s main fears is losing support from the United States, essential aid for its army. The 78-year-old billionaire has often criticized his country’s aid to Ukraine and has assured that he can resolve the conflict by “24 hours” without ever detailing his method.
The call between Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin which annoys Kyiv
Volodymyr Zelensky fears being forced into negotiations unfavorable to Ukraine while North Korean troops fight alongside Russian soldiers. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, visiting Ukraine this Saturday, said North Korean participation would have an impact “extremely significant” on the security of East Asia. In his daily address to the nation, the Ukrainian president said that “Russia teaches modern warfare North Koreawhich can lead to wider destabilization.
In terms of destabilization, Kyiv was also annoyed on Friday by a telephone conversation between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin, the first meeting in almost two years between the two leaders. The German Chancellor asked Russia to show its “willingness to begin negotiations with Ukraine with a view to a just and lasting peace”according to the German government. Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to remind Olaf Scholz that a peace agreement with Ukraine should take into account “new territorial realities”, according to the Kremlin.
Russia regularly repeats that it is open to negotiations but with «concessions» on the part of Kyiv: the cession of the Ukrainian territories that Moscow annexed in 2022 without fully controlling them. The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed this Saturday the capture of two new villages in the Donetsk region.
