Donald Trump's rise to power in the United States and the difficult situation for Ukraine's armed forces on the front are causing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to soften his stance on future talks with Russia, The Washington Post reports.
In recent weeks, Zelensky has signaled a greater willingness to negotiate an end to the war. This is a major shift for the Ukrainian leader, who previously promised to fight for every inch of his country's land.
The shift in Zelensky's rhetoric - something that Ukrainian and Western officials have noticed - can probably be explained by the worsening situation on the front lines and the coming to power of the new US administration (in the person of Trump), which has cast doubt on future security assistance to Kiev.
Earlier, Zelensky said that negotiations could begin only after Moscow withdraws all its troops from Ukrainian territory. However, in recent meetings with Trump and European leaders, the Ukrainian president has focused more on achieving a “lasting peace“ for Ukraine. The main priority now is to secure an invitation to the NATO military alliance and other security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks (such as the possible presence of Western peacekeeping forces).
The Zelensky administration understands that things will change under Trump, experts say. At the same time, some politicians doubt that Vladimir Putin is ready for negotiations while his troops advance on the front lines.
Zelensky hopes that his more accommodating position will appeal to Trump and allow him to provide greater support for Ukraine's defense if Putin withdraws from the talks. To date, the Russian army has occupied nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea.
Volodymyr Zelensky recently admitted that his army currently does not have the strength to retake the territories occupied by Putin by force. He indicated that this will happen at a later date through diplomacy. Trump, for his part, promised after taking office to end the war in Ukraine "within 24 hours," but did not say how he plans to do this.