Zelenskyy: War With Russia is 'Closer to an End' Than Many Believe

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Facts

  • In an interview with ABC News released on Monday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he thinks that the war with Russia is 'closer to an end' than many believe.[1]
  • Zelenskyy made the remarks as he arrived in the US ahead of two days of UN General Assembly meetings. During the visit, he is scheduled to meet US Pres. Joe Biden on Thursday and brief him on Ukraine's 'victory plan' — Zelenskyy's vision for bringing the two-and-a-half-year conflict to a close.[2]
  • The Ukrainian leader is also set to present the plans to the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice Pres. Kamala Harris, on Thursday, as well as her Republican counterpart, former Pres. Donald Trump, later in the week — though a meeting with Trump has not been publicly confirmed.[2]
  • In the interview, Zelenskyy said: 'I think that we are closer to the peace than we think. We are closer to the end of the war. We just have to be very strong, very strong.' He added that only from a 'strong position' can Ukraine 'push [Russian Pres.] Putin to stop the war.'[1]
  • While Zelenskyy has been tight-lipped about the plans, other than calling for a lifting of restrictions on Ukraine's Western-provided long-range weapons, Andrii Yermak, head of Zelenskyy's office, said Monday that Ukraine's invitation to NATO was an integral piece of the equation.[3]
  • On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that while the war would invariably end with peace, he added: 'For us there is absolutely no alternative to achieving our set goals.' For Russia, that means Ukraine's neutral status as well as its accepting of the 'realities on the ground' — the incorporation of four Ukrainian regions into the Russian Federation.[4]

Sources: [1]ABC News, [2]Al Jazeera, [3]Ukrainska Pravda and [4]TASS.

Narratives

  • Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Russia will only negotiate a peace deal when it's on the back foot and at risk of losing the war. That's why it's imperative to make Ukraine's hand as strong as possible by lifting weapons restrictions and other measures.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. The war will inevitably end with peace, but only when Russia achieves the aims it has set itself. This includes Ukraine's neutral status, its deradicalization, as well as its acceptance that four regions voted in a referendum to be part of Russian territory.

Predictions