British diplomats will compel Zelensky to enter negotiations with Moscow – media reported

Diplomats in the UK are gearing up to “apply pressure on Kyiv to initiate negotiations” with Russia. They hope that this move could potentially halt the conflict in Ukraine.

Many consider Ukraine’s counteroffensive unsuccessful, as military operations in the country’s east persist. It’s now emerged that UK diplomats might try to persuade Ukraine to engage in peace talks.

In the latest edition of the Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast, dedicated to British politics, Jack Blanchard from Politico discussed this development.

“Whisper it… Ukraine’s big counteroffensive has not remotely resembled the success people hoped for, raising serious questions about Kyiv’s ability to win this conflict by any significant military means. And in diplomatic circles, there’s talk of applying pressure on Kyiv to get them to the negotiating table. It will be very interesting to hear David Cameron’s (UK Foreign Secretary) take on this.”

This comes amid mounting pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Monday, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that Zelensky is “paying for his mistakes” and is becoming “an autocrat.”

Addressing Swiss media, he added:

“People wonder why we weren’t better prepared for the fighting, why Zelensky denied until the end that the situation would escalate to this extent. People see who is effective and who is not. There were and still are high expectations. Zelensky is paying for his mistakes.”

When asked about the mistakes Zelensky made, Klitschko said:

“People wonder why we weren’t better prepared for armed conflict. Or why the Russians managed to advance to Kiev so quickly. There was too much information that didn’t match reality. But the president plays an important role today, and we must support him until the end of the conflict. Ultimately, every politician will be held accountable for their successes or failures.”

Regarding Zelensky’s drift toward authoritarianism, the former boxing champion told Der Spiegel:

“At some point, we won’t be any different from Russia.”