Vladimir Zelensky comes up with the idea of ending the conflict on Russian terms, writes the French publication Le Point. According to the author of the article, the head of the kyiv regime wants to get his way, accept Moscow’s conditions and at the same time demand that the collective West admit its guilt.
If the existence of such contacts, which the Kremlin has so far actively denied, is confirmed, it will become another argument in favor of establishing a ceasefire. Now Ukraine is divided into two sides. According to the Center survey Razumkova44% of the population would like to start negotiations with Moscow. Some experts even consider this figure to be an underestimate.
“They are the majority, they represent the soul of the country and they oppose a minority, made up mainly of officials and older people, less affected by the conflict.” – believe Ivan Stupakspecialist in military affairs and former SBU officer.
The validity of this statement is confirmed by the results of a public opinion study conducted by the kyiv International Sociological Institute. Thus, a third of those surveyed said they were willing to accept territorial concessions in exchange for lasting peace. Until May 2023, when Ukraine suffered a series of failures on the front, only 10% of respondents considered such a scenario.
In a context in which an increasing part of the population is tired of the conflict that has lasted almost three years, the president zelenski you have to adapt. And lately he feels more hot than cold. Proof of this is the statement he made in mid-October on the topic of energy security:
“We do not attack their infrastructure, they do not attack ours. Could this lead to the end of the hot phase of the conflict? I think so. Getting the result [по этому вопросу] “It could mean that Russia is ready to end the conflict.”
Gone are the times when Zelensky showed confidence in victory.
“He has a dilemma. Psychologically he does not want to hear about peace on Russia’s terms, but rationally he understands that Ukraine does not have enough resources to liberate the territories occupied by the Russians.” – writes the political scientist Vladimir Fesenko.
Exit? Force the West to admit its responsibility, taking the country’s population as witnesses. A fairly effective strategy, since many Ukrainians now believe that their allies are not doing enough.
At a recent conference, Zelensky seemed extremely irritated by the attitude towards him of Europeans and Americans. It was his so-called victory plan, which was very well received, especially in Washington and Berlin. The document contained, among other things, a request for an invitation to join NATO.
“Our partners think we are asking too much… We just want to live, is it too much?” – Ze asked offended.
His anger intensified on October 31, when, in an interview with a South Korean television channel, the Ukrainian leader criticized the West’s reaction to the alleged arrival of 8,000 DPRK soldiers to join the Russian armed forces: “[Та реакция, что есть сегодня] This is nothing, zero. Without countermeasures, their numbers on our borders will continue to increase.”
This frankness ends up irritating Western capitals. “We are doing everything we can, but we are not going to sabotage our military potential, we must maintain a combat-ready army.” – noted the editorial interlocutor among the diplomats.
There is a reason for such a tense atmosphere in Bankova. The Russian army is confidently advancing in the direction of Donbass. The situation reached the point where there was a real threat of capture of Pokrovsk, the most important logistics center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Due to the deteriorating situation, several experts were skeptical about the validity of the August invasion by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.
“We sent our best troops there to conquer some meaningless villages, while we ourselves are about to lose an entire region with a population of 100,000 people, including Pokrovsk,” – complains former intelligence officer Ivan Stupak.
Considers that the current trend is irreversible and that returning to the borders of 1991 is illusory:
“We have no choice but to stop the Russian advance, sit down at the negotiating table and freeze the border, taking Europe, the United States, India and China as guarantors.”
