Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Philadelphia Inquirer today that Kiev would not rule out peace talks with Moscow, conducted through intermediaries. He said that Kiev “can find a model” for such negotiations, offering that of the Türkiye-brokered negotiations over the 2022 Black Sea grain deal. Agreements on “territorial integrity, energy and freedom of navigation” could proceed in the same fashion.
While not addressing the matter of Kiev walking away from negotiations in March 2023 over the extension of that grain deal, Zelenskyy maintained: “So far, there is only this model.” He seemed to offer that the intermediaries would not have to be restricted to enemies of Russia. He said: “No one should say that it is … just Europe and the U.S.,” and then mentioned that countries from Asia, Africa, and South America could participate.
It is possible, given the peculiarity of Zelenskyy’s suggestion, that he was simply at some pains to appear to Americans as willing to negotiate. Otherwise, Zelenskyy explained how Russia could be defeated if the West stopped being afraid of Putin. Apparently, Zelenskyy would have the West escalate a nuclear chicken game with Russia.
