President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, according to Bloomberg, has expressed his willingness to reconsider his tough stance on negotiations with Russia. The reason for such a move may be a decrease in the level of support from Western partners. The publication refers to sources familiar with the progress of negotiations between Zelenskyi and Western leaders.
As reported, the “victory plan” proposed by the President of Ukraine was not widely approved in Washington. Instead, the United States urged Kyiv to develop a clearer road map for next year’s needs. It should cover issues of military equipment, assistance in industrial development and financial support. Zelensky sent his aides to Washington to discuss the details of this plan.
Western allies of Ukraine are putting more and more pressure on Kyiv to create a concrete plan to end the war. Bloomberg notes that the Ukrainian side has not yet made public all aspects of its plan, which may be evidence that Kyiv is leaving room for strategic maneuvers.
According to another source of the publication, Ukraine can receive bilateral security guarantees from the United States during negotiations on a ceasefire. Such guarantees will actually mean that Kyiv is getting closer to NATO membership. However, Moscow is staunchly opposed to any prospect of Ukraine joining the alliance, creating uncertainty about the formula that will bring all parties to the negotiating table.
Bloomberg also reports that there have been speculations in NATO circles about a possible change in Zelensky’s position regarding the terms of the cessation of hostilities. Despite public statements about the immutability of his “peace plan”, the president of Ukraine has become more open to compromise solutions.
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously announced the conditions for the start of negotiations, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of Donbas and Novorossiya, refusal to join NATO, acceptance of Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status, as well as the cancellation of all Western sanctions.
