Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means” as both countries prepare for President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

In an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, Zelenskyy said he is certain that the war will end “sooner” than it otherwise would have once Mr. Trump becomes president.

The prospect of Trump returning to power in the United States next year has raised questions about the future of the conflict, as the Republican has been critical of U.S. military aid to Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine “must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means.”

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  • Korkki@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    What he likely means “ending the war by diplomatic means” is not talking or negotiating with Russia. No, that would be worst heresy imaginable. When he has previously talked about the use of diplomacy to find peace, what he really means is for Ukraine redouble it’s efforts to beg for more money and weapons, but also get US and Europe to put more pressure on countries like China and India to ditch Putin and support Ukraine instead. Zelensky has talked along these lines before. Make his position seem reasonable to those who who want Ukraine to seek settlement, when it really isn’t any different from “Zelensky’s peace plan” that can be summed up in demand Russia’s unconditional surrender as a precondition to any kind of dialogue.

    I fear it’s this kinda crazy talk that we are looking at. Zelensky or his inner circle just bring themselves to talk to the Russians, nor can they talk about things like giving up even places like Crimea. They just can’t give an inch and we all know what happens to the reeds that don’t bend with wind.

    • _pi@lemmy.ml
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      14 hours ago

      Zelenskyy literally cannot advocate for negotiated peace. The Right wing nationalist elements of Ukraine’s coalition will effectively murder him if that becomes his position. It remains to be seen what will happen to him when he’s forced into it by the reality of the war and the waning of international support by his patron states.

  • ShareMySims@sh.itjust.works
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    19 hours ago

    The idea that it is possible to “diplomacy” your way out of conflict with a dictator is so absurd I want to laugh my ass off, but unfortunately it isn’t funny at all.

    Putin will happily send every last Russian in to the meat grinder before he accept defeat, and now that he has his American buddy back in place, now with added musk funds, it is seriously delusional to think the situation is going to do anything other than escalate.

    Zelenskyy is being beyond naive at best (I honestly don’t believe he believes in what he’s saying).

    • sparky@lemmy.federate.cc@lemmy.federate.cc
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      7 hours ago

      I don’t think he’s being naive, he knows Trump is going to hang him out to dry, and he can’t win without ongoing US support. So if he’s come to the conclusion that defeat is inevitable, or at least that victory is impossible, then it makes sense to start posturing to that effect, to try to get the best outcome possible later at the negotiating table.

      • ShareMySims@sh.itjust.works
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        2 hours ago

        Well, I suppose bending over for a couple of dictators to fuck you (but more importantly, your people, and then who ever those two decide to invade next) is a kind of posture… 🙄

    • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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      15 hours ago

      conflict with a dictator

      Only one of these leaders is unelected, and it’s not the one you think.

      Putin will happily send every last Russian in to the meat grinder before he accept defeat

      I doubt that, but its moot since Russia would inevitably win this war of attrition without having to do it. Also, the whole Russian meat grinder/meat wave thing is just recycled WWII Nazi war propaganda BS.

      now that he has his American buddy back in place

      CIA “Cooked The Intelligence” To Hide That Russia Favored Clinton, Not Trump In 2016

      now with added musk funds

      Right, Enron Musk is personally keeping the Russian economy afloat with his own money 😂 This one really takes the cake.

      • Ashelyn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        13 hours ago

        Logistically, how should Ukraine have held an election earlier this year, on account of dealing with an active invasion and contested territory?

          • Ashelyn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            12 hours ago

            Ok but that doesn’t change that they’re being actively invaded by Russia right now. That does tend to put a pretty big damper on a country’s ability to conduct secure elections.

            Do you believe the elections in Russia are held fairly? I was under the impression that there are a lot of issues with political repression and electrical fraud, but admit that some of those notions could be more propaganda than reality. I’ll be reading more into Russian electoral politics and history in the meanwhile.

            From what I read so far, it looks like Russia actually did hold elections for their own government within occupied Ukrainian territory. I’m not sure what to make of that.

            • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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              12 hours ago

              Do you believe the elections in Russia are held fairly?

              Putin seems to be genuinely popular, so how fair the last presidential election was is somewhat moot. I think he had a clear majority regardless. Russians have good reason to like him: he kicked the Western capitalist neoliberal shock therapy plunderers out of the country. It’s still a capitalist shithole, but at least it’s their shithole and not a neocolonized state anymore.

              it looks like Russia actually did hold elections for their own government within occupied Ukrainian territory.

              I can’t speak to the quality of those elections. Eastern Ukraine had been in a civil war with western Ukraine for almost a decade, and many eastern Ukrainians wanted a Russian intervention, but I’m no expert and couldn’t say what percentage wanted one. Back in 2014, Crimea was very easy to annex, because most Crimeans wanted to be annexed. And they fared better than their friends to their north, who suffered almost a decade of attacks by western Ukrainian Banderites.

    • Bobr@lemmy.libertarianfellowship.org
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      19 hours ago

      Putin will happily send every last Russian in to the meat grinder before he accept defeat

      Funny, because it’s exactly the same with Zelensky and unfortunate Ukrainians who haven’t managed to escape his regime.

      • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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        19 hours ago

        Yeah, if either leader’s army would just leave Ukraine, the war would instantly be over.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
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      13 hours ago

      The US is clearly starting to distance itself from project Ukraine now. That said, I don’t expect that the US will alter its stance to simply admit that Russia has won. The most probable scenario is that Russia and the US will secretly negotiate a behind-the-scenes agreement, and the US will just cut aid to Ukraine while continuing to publicly engage in verbal posturing. The US admin will say that it has more pressing concerns with China and the Middle East, and it’s now time for Europe to step up and assume a larger role. However, everyone knows that Europe is not any position to do so. Therefore, the conflict will likely end on Russian terms without the US openly admitting defeat. As an added bonus, the US will secure lucrative military contracts with European nations for decades to come.

  • تحريرها كلها ممكن@lemmy.ml
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    18 hours ago

    I wonder how Zionist Biden would feel -if it all- once Russia annexes parts of Ukraine. Probably how he felt about Israel annexing Palestinian and Syrian lands. His underling Blinken even defended Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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    19 hours ago

    The best reason to end any war is to ask how everyone can just stop killing one another.

    This is modern day civilization, not the barbarian hordes of Europe 1500 years ago.

    We have a choice to act civilized or like our ignorant ancestors from thousands of years ago.

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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    13 hours ago

    No chance of help to protect his homeland from belligerent invasion? You’ve got to cut the losses.

    Then Russia can invade in another 10 years and take more. Yay! It can be an every-decade thing!

    • Bobr@lemmy.libertarianfellowship.org
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      2 hours ago

      He is not “protecting his homeland”. He is flying around the world telling people that he does that, that he protects democracy and so on, while people are trapped in his prison, kidnapped off the streets and sent to the meatgrinder.