As the United States approaches the prospect of discussions to end the war in Ukraine, Kiev is seeking to put itself in the strongest position for any negotiations, including securing more weapons and resisting on the battlefield.
A Ukrainian official said the next four or five months will be crucial, signaling how Trump’s return to the White House is focusing Kiev’s attention on a possible end to the war.
The Republican, who will be sworn in as US president on January 20, has said he will end the war quickly, but has not said how.
“This winter is a critical point… I hope the war is coming to an end. At this point, we will define the positions of both sides in the negotiations, the initial positions,” the Ukrainian official told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues.
Officials are waiting to see who Trump picks for top security and defense jobs for clues about how he will shape policy toward Ukraine. He ruled out nominating former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, seen in Kiev as pro-Ukraine.
Russia is advancing on the battlefield at its fastest pace since 2022 despite suffering heavy losses, and Ukraine said last week it had clashed with some of the roughly 11,000 North Korean troops sent to Russia’s Kursk region .
Pressured by manpower shortages, the Ukrainian Forces have been losing some of the ground they captured in a raid on Kursk in August, which the president said could serve as bargaining chips.
Ukraine’s power system is keeping the lights on for now, but the threat of another major Russian attack on the grid remains.
Drones attack Kiev almost every night, although Russia may not want to alienate Trump’s new team by destroying the system.
Zelensky said the next day that he is convinced that a quick end to the war would mean that Kiev would accept major concessions.
“If it is just fast, it means losses for Ukraine. I still don’t understand how it could be any other way. Maybe we don’t know something, we’re not seeing it,” said Zelensky.
He also criticized discussion of a ceasefire without Ukraine first receiving robust security guarantees that would prevent Russia from launching an even larger offensive later.
“It is a very daunting challenge for our citizens, first a ceasefire, then we will see. Who are you? Are your children dying?” Zelensky said in comments apparently aimed at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had proposed a ceasefire.
but that does not mean that Moscow’s war demands have changed.
Putin set his terms for ending the war in June, Ukraine would have to abandon its ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and withdraw its troops from all territory in four regions claimed by Russia, something Kiev sees as similar to redemption.
Zelensky, for his part, outlined a “victory plan” for US President Joe Biden, reiterating his request for permission to attack military targets deeper in Russia, receive a NATO invitation for membership and obtain more powerful weapons.
