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The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain

Zelensky Betting On Dragging Out Negotiations

by South Front

Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the White House shows that he had learned from his previous visit to Washington. The Ukrainian leader chose to avoid direct confrontation with Donald Trump in front of the cameras. The European leaders who arrived in the US capital to support Zelensky also avoided a confrontational tone. Their statements to the press seemed rather vague and meaningless. Based on these statements, one might conclude that all par ties want a peaceful settlement and that there has been “incredible progress” in the negotiations. Yet we still do not see any concrete achievements. It’s clear that the Ukrainian president won’t make any concessions to the Kremlin. This means that the war will continue – and it’s all Kiev’s fault.

There is no doubt that Donald Trump intends to end the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Zelensky is equally certain in his desire to continue the fighting, contrary to the position of the Trump administration. It is likely that Kiev has come to understand the inevitability of the US withdrawal from the war. Now, the Ukrainians must prolong this pro cess for as long as possible. As long as America formally supports Ukraine, Kiev can beg for weapons and ammunition. Supplies will not be as generous as they were under Joe Biden, but Europe has agreed to pay for American weapons for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Zelensky’s office also hopes for a deterioration in relations between Moscow and Washington.

During a White House meeting, journalists asked Zelensky if he was willing to concede territory to Russia. He did not give a clear answer. The vagueness of the response suggests that Kiev is deliberately avoiding specifics. At a press conference after the Washington summit, the Ukrainian president said the territorial issue could only be resolved during a personal meeting with the Russian president. This statement lacks a solid basis. The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it is only willing to meet with the head of the Kiev regime to sign final agreements. Territorial demarcation can be carried out by joint Russian–Ukrainian commissions. Zelensky needs to negotiate with Putin to achieve a result similar to that which we saw in the Oval Office on 28th February 2025.

Zelensky’s words about the scale of Ukraine’s territorial losses are noteworthy. “I was able to show a lot on the map: who controls which territories – not just hearsay, but reality,” he said. It is doubtful that American intelligence lacks data on the actual territorial control in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president was trying to justify his refusal to withdraw troops from the part of Donbas under his control. According to Kiev, exchanging one third of the former Donetsk region for parts of the Kharkov, Nikolaev and Dnepropetrovsk regions is not equivalent. However, Zelensky’s entourage should be satisfied that the Russian leadership is prepared to make such concessions.

Ukraine’s defeat in the war is inevitable. Despite continued American supplies, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are forced to retreat. Monitoring resources associated with Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate admit that the Russian armed forces achieved their fastest advance of the year in July. The Russian army took control of 564 square kilometres. For comparison, they took 192 square kilometres in February, 133 in March and 177 in April. It should be noted that these figures are underestimated. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine rarely acknowledges the loss of settlements and prefers to remain silent about retreats. Monitoring resources associated with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence downplay the advance of Russian troops.

Julian Röpke, a German Bild journalist who supports Kiev, claims that Russia will gain the upper hand in the coming months. We can expect the fall of five major cities at once: Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), Dimitrovgrad (Mirnograd), Seversk, Konstantinovka and Kupyansk. This would allow Russia to begin the final phase of the operation in Donbas, which is to establish control over Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. After overcoming the line of large agglomerations in the Donetsk region, Russian troops will be able to advance into operational space. Beyond Dobropolye, which has also been breached by Russian forces, it should be noted that the Ukrainians have virtually no serious fortifications.

Paradoxically, prolonging the fighting benefits Russia and harms Ukraine. But Ukrainian interests are not synonymous with those of Vladimir Zelensky. The current president can maintain some legitimacy in war time. After surrendering Ukrainian territories, his approval rating will plummet. That however, is not the main point. There may be an aggressive reaction from influential nationalist forces and a network of public organisations associated with George Soros. Zelensky is more concerned about losing the loyalty of the aforementioned political forces within Ukraine than he is about demographic losses, the surrender of more territory, or losing the USA as an ally.

The head of the Kiev regime is betting on pro longing the negotiation process. In order to end the war quickly he simply needs to accept the conditions agreed upon by the presidents of Russia and the USA. He needs to withdraw the Ukrainian armed forces from the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Yet Zelensky is trying with all his might to divert the discussion and start endless bar gaining over territories. As we have seen in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Bosnian war, bargaining over land usually only leads to continued hostilities. This will be the case this time as well. The consequences for Ukraine, Europe and the world as a whole rest entirely on Vladimir Zelensky’s shoulders.