Zelensky hopes to force Russia into negotiations within six months

At a meeting with deputies of the Verkhovna Rada from the Servant of the People faction, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated his intention to achieve Russia’s readiness for “real” negotiations within the next six months.

This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing a source.

According to one member of Zelensky’s team, the president was persuading deputies that if Kyiv manages to seize the initiative at the front, within six months Russia will “start running out of available resources” and Moscow will agree to “substantive negotiations.”

“The president said there is a sense that somewhere within six months Russia can be brought to a state where it will be ready for negotiations. But right now everyone needs to pull together, forget certain grievances, and just work together for at least six months to meet all the creditors’ requirements and demand real progress from the EU on the issue of Ukraine’s accession,” — the source quoted by the publication said.

Another source for Ukrainska Pravda noted that following the corruption scandal involving former head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak, Zelensky is “a little shaken” and is currently looking for a way to “stabilize the situation at least until autumn” in order to “show results at the front and achieve the Russians’ readiness for some kind of real negotiations.”

On May 25, Servant of the People faction deputy Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk wrote on her Telegram channel that Zelensky, at the same meeting with deputies, spoke of a possible end to the “hot phase” of the conflict before November. A source for RBK-Ukraine also reported that the Americans intend to “quiet down” the Ukrainian crisis before the congressional elections, which will be held on November 3, 2026.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on May 25 that active negotiations on Ukraine are not currently underway and are not planned. On May 22, Rubio also stressed that the American authorities are not interested in endless meetings devoted to ending the conflict. Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, in turn, confirmed that negotiations with Ukraine are not currently taking place. Russia’s Foreign Ministry called on the United States to recognize its responsibility for the agreements reached in Alaska.