Zelenskyy to Present Plan to US Leaders for Ending War with Russia in Kyiv

Kyiv has developed a strategy to end the ongoing conflict with Russia, as announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“The primary objective of this plan is to compel Russia to cease the war,” Zelenskyy stated on August 27.

Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of ensuring that any negotiated settlement is equitable for Ukraine.

In 2022, Russia invaded and effectively took control of significant portions of eastern and southeastern Ukraine.

Since then, the conflict has persisted between the two nations, with Kyiv, supported by its Western allies, committed to reclaiming all lost territories.

Zelenskyy indicated that Kyiv’s ongoing offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, now in its fourth week, is part of the plan.

Although he did not reveal further specifics, he expressed his intention to present the plan to U.S. President Joe Biden next month.

Additionally, he expressed his desire to share the plan with Kamala Harris, Biden’s Vice President, and former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Harris and Trump are scheduled to compete in the upcoming November elections.

Zelenskyy also mentioned his plans to participate in an upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York and his hope for a meeting with Biden in the near future.

‘No Compromises’

Following Russia’s invasion in 2022, Zelenskyy prohibited Ukrainian officials from engaging with Moscow in any manner as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin remains in power.

“There can be no compromises with Putin,” Zelenskyy affirmed during the August 27 press briefing.

“Dialogue at present is essentially futile and meaningless because he [Putin] has no intention of resolving the war diplomatically,” he added.

However, given Russia’s continued military advancements, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region, Kyiv has shown a growing willingness in recent weeks to consider peace negotiations.

In June, at Kyiv’s request, Switzerland hosted an international summit with the aim of exploring peace prospects.

Despite representatives from 90 nations in attendance, Russian officials were not invited.

In response, Moscow outlined its own conditions for ending the conflict.

These conditions include the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson) effectively annexed by Russia in late 2022.

According to the Russian proposal, Kyiv would also need to abandon its aspiration to join the Western NATO alliance and commit to a perpetual state of neutrality.

Kyiv promptly declined the terms, rejecting talks until Russian forces vacated all Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

Nevertheless, in mid-July, Zelenskyy called for a second international summit later in the year, this time with Russian participation.

However, last week, Yury Ushakov, a top aide to Putin, stated that peace negotiations were currently off the table due to Kyiv’s continuing offensive in Kursk.

“Given this initiative [in Kursk], we will not engage in discussions,” echoing earlier statements by Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Ushakov added that the Russian proposal presented by Putin in June remained valid.

He emphasized that the timing of any future discussions “depends on the circumstances, including the situation on the battlefield.”

In previous statements, Ukrainian officials indicated that the Kursk offensive was primarily aimed at bolstering Kyiv’s position in negotiations.

However, Moscow believes the primary objective of the operation, which it failed to achieve, was to seize or disable Kursk’s nuclear power plant, supplying power to several regions of Russia.

Reuters contributed to this article.