Top Zelensky ally: Opportunity for peace talks could arise in second half of 2023.
Election campaign cycles beginning in both the United States and Russia, where presidential elections are both due to be held in 2024, could be a trigger for peace talks, Davyd Arakhamia, leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People faction in parliament, said on Nov. 12.
“I don't think (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin is capable of demonstrating any military success,” he said. "So they may be trying to somehow demonstrate something to their people on the diplomatic front.”
Despite frequent calls from public figures and world leaders for Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a ceasefire, Ukraine’s leadership has made it clear that the first basic terms of such negotiations must be the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
In an address on Nov. 7, Zelensky outlined his main terms: “Restoration of territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, compensation for all damages caused by the war, punishment of every war criminal and guarantees that this will not happen again,” he said.
Zelensky has also said that Ukraine is open to negotiations with Russia, but only with a president other than Putin.
