If Russia stops its air strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and cargo ships, it could lead to negotiations to end the war, says Ukraine’s president.
– We do not attack their energy infrastructures, they don’t attack ours. Could this lead to the end of the war’s hot phase? I think so, he said.
Speaking to journalists in Kiev on Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky said that “when it comes to energy and freedom of navigation, getting a result on these points would be a signal that Russia may be ready to end the war”.
Russian missile attacks on thermal power stations are said to have destroyed almost half of the country’s energy production, leaving it dependent on its nuclear plants and energy imports from European countries. The president now says that if Moscow and Kiev can agree to stop attacking infrastructure, it would also be a significant step towards ending the conflict, reports the Financial Times.
In the past, Zelensky has argued that negotiating with Russia is out of the question as long as Putin is president, but the rhetoric has shifted after repeated military setbacks and Ukraine’s allies expressing that it is high time for the war to end.
Demands NATO membership
“The battlefield losses and the prospect of a winter marked by prolonged power cuts have prompted Zelenskyy to accelerate his efforts to get western support for his “victory plan”, which includes an invitation for Kyiv to join Nato and further security guarantees that would deter Russia from attacking again”, the paper writes.
However, it is unclear how much interest there is in the “victory plan” among Mr Zelensky’s allies, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, for example, promising to end the war on “day one” if he wins next month’s election.
Aware that the outcome of the presidential election will affect Russia’s willingness to negotiate, Mr Zelensky denies that there are any discussions with the United States or other Western countries about Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for giving up some of its territory.
– Apparently, some partners may think about it. But they do not communicate this directly through me, but rather through the media. In all discussions we now raise the issue of security guarantees, and the strongest of all is NATO, he said.
