Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has changed his stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. In a recent interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, he stated that he is ready to sit for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the interview, Zelensky said, “If this is the only open path to restoring peace in Ukraine and preventing further loss of life, then I would say—we are ready to take this setup and sit for peace talks.”
“And if you ask me about my opinion of him (Putin)—my answer is that I do not feel much sympathy for him and consider him an enemy; and I think he considers me an enemy as well.”
Notably, by expressing his willingness for dialogue with Putin, Zelensky has effectively made a 180-degree shift from his previous stance. Earlier, several countries and the international community, including Turkey, Belarus, and India, had repeatedly urged him to engage in peace talks with Russia. As mediators, Belarus and Turkey even facilitated negotiations between government representatives of both nations, but Zelensky did not respond to those calls or initiatives.
Moreover, in 2022, Zelensky issued a presidential decree stating that as long as Putin remained in power, Ukraine would not engage in any peace talks with Moscow.
The Russia-Ukraine war began on February 24, 2022, when Russian forces launched a military invasion of Ukraine, citing Ukraine’s violation of the 2015 Minsk Agreement, its refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, and its pursuit of NATO membership under U.S. leadership. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion.
Over nearly three years of war, Russia has taken control of four provinces—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Last year, Moscow stated that if Kyiv recognized Crimea and these four provinces as Russian territory, Russia would declare an end to its military operation in Ukraine.
In response, Ukraine stated that it would only agree to peace talks if Russia withdrew its forces from the occupied territories.
At that time, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration was actively providing Ukraine with military and financial support.
However, the 2024 U.S. presidential election changed the situation. The newly elected President, Donald Trump, has been opposed to providing aid to Ukraine from the beginning.
After taking office on January 20, Trump signed several executive orders, one of which suspended foreign aid.
Since Trump signed that order, U.S. aid to Ukraine has been halted.