Zelenskyy on two options for winter: agreement with Russia to end war, or new escalation
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said there are two possible scenarios before winter sets in: ending the war through negotiations with Russia, or an escalation of hostilities with a possible increase in mobilisation in Russia.
Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference with Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin
Quote: "We have two paths ahead of us this winter. The first path is that we find a way to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia and end this war. This is the priority. That's what I'm focused on. We understand who we're dealing with. Which means that the alternative, which is always sought not by Ukraine but by Russia, is an escalation of the war and an increase in mobilisation.
I have received a broad intelligence briefing, and we can see that there are people around Putin who want to end the war, who can see the economic collapse and the logistical collapse. But there are military figures who want to see the war escalate and mobilisation be stepped up. That's what they want, they want to kill us. So we need to prepare a plan for getting through the winter."
Background:
- In late May, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has a "window of opportunity" before next winter to negotiate with Russia on ending the war.
- On 25 June, the president said he had approved a 40-day operation by the Security Service of Ukraine to pressure Russia into ending the war.
- On 22 July, Bloomberg reported that the Russian authorities are willing to return to negotiations with Ukraine once they have captured the whole of Donetsk Oblast, which they hope to achieve by the end of 2026.
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