President Volodymyr Zelensky has told reporters the conditions for a possible ceasefire and opening of peace negotiations with Putin, and the first has to do with energy security.
If both countries ceased attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian president believes this could end the “hot stage” of the war, Zelensky said from his presidential office, according to Politico.
Zelensky also said that Russia must stop attacks on civilian ships and ports in the Black Sea, which has been a major issue in terms of Ukraine’s food infrastructure. According to him, this could be a signal that the Kremlin is ready to end the war, although he also emphasized that military strikes may continue.
There is no doubt, given the pressure Ukrainian troops have faced on various fronts in recent weeks, that Zelensky is looking for a way out.
“Diplomacy. Any negotiations, I believe, will mean another stage of the war,” he reportedly said.
Zelensky also knows that the outcome of the U.S. presidential election will dictate Putin’s actions regarding any negotiations, although the Russian leader has not seemed very open to any sort of ceasefire, stating just last week that they will not back down until Russia has won. Putin also made clear that he believes this conflict is a war against NATO — not just Ukraine. In addition, he said the alliance is simply using Ukraine as a tool in its own ambitions against Russia.
Putin has also called allowing Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons “a dangerous provocation,” adding that Russia will not accept any such development.
The Russian leader said his troops are becoming more technologically advanced. The use of drone warfare has been increasingly adopted by both sides, with the conflict becoming in some ways a battle of technology.
