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The Ukrainian president has reportedly instructed his officials to work on negotiating a peace agreement before the year is over.
1560 days.
That is how long has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Shortly after the invasion, diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement failed, and since then, thousands of lives have been lost.
After Donald Trump was reelected President of the United States, another round of talks sought to find a way to end the fighting, but drones are still flying now in the fifth year of the war.
Now, however, Ukraine is reportedly trying to accelerate the timeline for ending its grinding war with Russia.
A ticking clock
According to Reuters, top officials in Kyiv believe a peace deal could be reached before the harsh winter weather sets in.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, spoke to reporters at a press conference about the new diplomatic push. He made it clear that timing is everything for the nation.
“This is the president’s instruction: to try to end this war as soon as possible … preferably before winter,” Budanov said on Monday.
The official believes the tight schedule makes perfect sense given the current situation on the ground.
“In my opinion, this is absolutely correct, timely, and realistic,” he stated.
The battlefield edge
Kyiv believes its strategic position has improved significantly over the last few months. In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Zelenskiy explained that he wants to restart the stalled peace talks before winter freezes the front lines.
On the ground, the heavy fighting shows signs of a shift. Ukrainian officials noted that the advance of Russian forces has slowed across several sectors.
At the same time, Ukraine has intensified a campaign of long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory. These attacks mainly target the Russian oil industry in an effort to drain Moscow’s war chest.
However, the opportunity to strike a deal will not last forever. A senior Ukrainian commander warned last week that Ukraine has a strict six-month window to seize the battlefield initiative and strengthen its hand.
Shifting global focus
This urgent diplomatic push comes at a deeply complicated time for international relations, especially as peace talks previously brokered by the United States have completely ground to a halt.
Reuters reported that Washington has shifted its primary attention away from Eastern Europe. American officials are currently focused on the escalating conflict involving Iran.
Despite the distraction in Washington, Kyiv expects American diplomats to return to the table very soon. Budanov noted that he expects a U.S. delegation to visit both Moscow and Kyiv in the near future.
Sources: Reuters
