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Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing no intention of ending the war against Ukraine, but the diplomatic track could still produce significant progress, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian and partner intelligence assessments, as well as signals coming from Russia, indicate that Putin still wants to continue the war.
“Unfortunately, all the intelligence evidence — ours and that of our partners — and all the signals from Russia indicate that the Russian leader personally wants more war,” Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, he said that the vast majority of Russian society is reportedly ready to accept a halt to the fighting along the current line of contact, while Putin favors continuing the war.
Zelenskyy points to September
Zelenskyy said the task now is to create conditions that would encourage Putin to seek an end to the war rather than continue fighting.
“We will see what the U.S. president’s representatives manage to achieve. September could change a lot, and we and our partners must do everything possible to protect people, protect lives and achieve peace,” he said.
The comments come as Kyiv remains in close contact with representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Washington is discussing a possible visit to Kyiv by Trump’s representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which would be their first trip to Ukraine.
Ukraine also expects diplomatic efforts to intensify, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe has reportedly proposed a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin in an attempt to move the peace process forward.
