The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s willingness to engage in ceasefire talks, terming the move “positive.” The declaration came after Zelenskyy’s statement last week that he was prepared to negotiate a lasting peace, with a clear gap having emerged between Kyiv and its closest ally, the United States.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the media and said, “This direction is quite positive,” following Zelenskyy’s announcement that he is willing to take a seat at the negotiating table as early as possible.
While the Kremlin has a long tradition of doubting Ukraine’s readiness to sit down at ceasefire negotiating talks with Moscow, President Zelenskyy has apparently signaled his own readiness to get back to the negotiating table in a said letter read in a speech in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday by President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Peskov also alluded to Zelenskyy’s decree excluding direct negotiations with President Putin and drawing attention to the complexity of the situation.
Despite this, Zelenskyy has shown willingness to negotiate with Putin but only after he comes to an agreement with Kyiv’s Western allies on a unified negotiating stance. Moscow has also challenged Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as president, citing the lapse of his five-year term as president last year. Nevertheless, martial law suspends wartime elections, meaning that Zelenskyy will remain in office for the foreseeable future.
Key European allies of Ukraine have backed the delay of elections in the midst of Russia’s ongoing military offensive. Trump, however, has incorrectly claimed that Zelenskyy is unpopular in Ukraine and must conduct elections.
Trump on Wednesday suspended U.S. military aid to Kyiv following a contentious meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Concern is growing in Kyiv and around the continent that Trump is attempting to push Ukraine toward a peace deal that would greatly favor Moscow.
