Zelenskiy aide says Ukraine deal by winter ‘realistic’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s private secretary, Kyrylo Budanov, said he believes reaching an agreement to end the war against Russia by winter in the northern hemisphere is a “realistic” outcome.
Taking into account Ukraine’s improving strategic position, Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Sunday that he wants to resume peace talks with Russia, which have stalled in recent months, before the start of winter.
U.S.-brokered talks to move toward a peace deal have ground to a halt as U.S. officials focus on the conflict in Iran.
Without giving details, Budanov said he expected a US delegation to visit Moscow and Kiev in the near future.
“This is the president’s instruction: to try to end this war as quickly as possible, preferably before winter,” he told reporters at the press conference.
“I think it’s absolutely accurate, timely and realistic.”
Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials said the advance of Russian forces on the ground was slowing, while Ukraine was intensifying its long-range strike campaign inside Russia, targeting mainly the oil industry.
A senior Ukrainian commander said last week that Ukraine has a six-month window to seize the battlefield initiative and strengthen its hand in peace talks.
Ukraine’s front lines have “significantly strengthened”, Zelenskiy said on Monday, citing a report by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s top military commander briefed him on the situation on the battlefield during a meeting with Ukraine’s military leaders.
“Ukraine’s positions are strong and this is a result that our state desperately needs and will certainly support all diplomatic steps,” Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook.
Ukrainian military blog DeepState, which closely follows developments on the front line using open source information and tips from army sources, also assessed the situation as largely stabilized.
According to DeepState, Russian forces captured 14 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in May; This was the lowest monthly earnings in three years.
“The war is entering a new phase and it is important that the Ukrainian state does not lose the initiative,” analysts wrote on Telegram.
Russian forces have advanced steadily, albeit slowly and at heavy cost, since the autumn of 2023 in the northern hemisphere.
However, since the beginning of the fifth year of the war, Ukrainian defenders have managed to stabilize the situation on the battlefield.
Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
with DPA
