The Russian authorities do not intend to give in to the conditions for ending the war, which have not changed since 2021, including the removal of the legitimate Ukrainian government and the demilitarization of Ukraine. This is stated by analysts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
ISW recalled that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined the conditions that must be met to push Russia to a “just peace.
In an interview on January 2, Zelenskiy said that achieving a “just peace” in the upcoming negotiations - a conceptthat Zelenskiy highlighted in his December 31 New Year's address - requires a strong Ukrainian army, security guarantees from Western allies, and Ukraine's future membership in NATO and the European Union to deter Russia from renewing its aggression against Ukraine.
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine cannot achieve a just peace with a small army, such as “40,000 or 50,000 soldiers” - referring to Putin's initial demand during the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul in the spring of 2022 that Ukraine demilitarize and only maintain a force of about 50,000.
“Putin and other Kremlin officials have repeatedly demanded conditions for ending the war that amount to Ukraine's complete surrender, including the removal of the legitimate Ukrainian government and the demilitarization of Ukraine. These demands have not changed since 2021,” ISW analysts note.
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Zelenskyy stated that the invitation to NATO should be for the whole of Ukraine, but the action of the Alliance could be on the part of the territory controlled by Kyiv with future expansion.
Zelenskyy also said that the newly elected US President Donald Trump could be decisive in ending Russia's war against Ukraine, as he could stop Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
