President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that a trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia could take place if Russia chooses the path of de-escalation. In his view, should this occur, the meeting could be held in the spring or in June.
Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy described the coming months as crucial for the enemy. Therefore, Ukraine must prepare for increased pressure.
“And I think it will be very difficult for us until September. In my view, the Americans will not give anyone more time regarding this dialogue. With the start of summer, the US will become even more focused on domestic processes — the elections. And I think they have a sort of domestic political deadline — roughly August. So this spring and summer period will be quite difficult politically and diplomatically. There may be pressure on Ukraine. And there will be pressure on the battlefield too. But we understand what Ukraine’s national interests are and what can guarantee our security,” he said.
The President emphasised that putting pressure on Russia is crucial during this period, particularly by NATO.
Zelenskyy believes that Russia’s blocking of access to Telegram is a sign of preparations for an unpopular decision.
“What sort of unpopular decisions might there be? Perhaps it is the end of the war in one form or another. Or, conversely, an escalation of the war. In that case, it would mean even greater mobilisation on their part. That means people from Moscow and St Petersburg being sent to the front — and corpses returning to Moscow and St Petersburg. In other words, the major cities that he previously tried to bypass with his mobilisation, he will no longer be able to avoid. That could be one scenario. Another scenario is that, not knowing what the public reaction will be, they are preparing for one outcome or another of the war. Through their propaganda, they have stirred up the radical section of society. This percentage is quite high among them. I think it is around 20–25 per cent. In my view, these people are definitely not ready to end the war. There is also a section of their society that would react badly to an escalation. In my view, these are the two main scenarios but, of course, there may be other motivations,” said the President.
Context
The US has repeatedly set “deadlines” by which Russia’s war against Ukraine should end. However, the Kremlin has shown no signs of readiness for constructive dialogue or a meeting with the leaders of the US and Ukraine.
In winter, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the US wanted the war between Ukraine and Russia to end by summer. At the same time, he denied reports that Washington had threatened to withdraw from the negotiation process.