“Zelensky has become more open to negotiations,” – The Washington Post

Western diplomats in Kyiv have sensed that President Volodymyr Zelensky has become more open to starting negotiations with Russia.

This information reported according to an article in “The Washington Post”.

The publication recalls that Zelensky mentioned the possibility of inviting Russia to the next peace summit.

At the same time, the newspaper notes that Zelensky insists on ending the war on his terms, “although over the past year his position has weakened as Russia has captured significant territory in Donbas, which is unlikely to be returned.” Analysts predict further losses on the front in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has “stalled” and has not forced Russian troops to withdraw from the front as Kyiv had hoped. The lukewarm response from some officials familiar with Zelensky’s “victory plan” suggests that Kyiv might not achieve the breakthrough it anticipated.

General Charles Brown, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the plan outlines certain things Ukrainian officials “have already requested,” and U.S. officials are reviewing the plan to determine “what is actually possible.”

Brown added, “We will need to sit down with the Ukrainians and discuss what they can realistically achieve, compared to what is on their list.”

He also acknowledged that there are disagreements among NATO allies regarding Ukraine’s accession to the alliance, which is the first point in Zelensky’s “victory plan.”

At the same time, the Ukrainian President’s Office reiterated its rejection of ending the war along the current front lines.

“We have all the tools today to make Russia lose. Russia’s exhaustion is already evident,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt”.

He added that Russia is not making significant gains on the front.

Podolyak expressed confusion about “pessimistic articles” appearing in various newspapers about the situation in Donetsk Oblast. In his view, if Ukraine were allowed to conduct long-range strikes on Russian territory, “the course of the war would accelerate tenfold.” He is confident that such permission will eventually be granted.

However, U.S. officials have repeatedly stated that long-range strikes would not significantly impact the course of the war, and the White House remains concerned that this could provoke a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.

Recently, Western media have increasingly speculated that Zelensky might be willing to end the war along the current front lines in exchange for NATO membership. Ukraine, however, denies this and insists that Zelensky’s peace formula, which calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s borders, remains non-negotiable.