Zelensky's change of tone: 'It is possible to communicate with Trump'

Earlier this week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy hinted that he was open to inviting a Russian delegation to the next peace meeting, which the president hopes will take place in November of this year, he wrote. CNN.

This marks a clear shift in Kiev, where Ukraine’s previous position was that there would be no Russian presence at peace talks unless Moscow withdrew its troops from Ukrainian territory. Russia was not invited to the previous peace meeting in Switzerland last month.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has claimed in recent months that he is open to negotiations, but has since demanded that Kyiv hand over all four Ukrainian regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, and that Ukraine abandon its goal of joining NATO.

– Ukraine will never accept this. But it is interesting that Zelensky opens the door to the possibility that the territories occupied by Russia will be restored through negotiations with Russia, and not just militarily, says Jürgen Elving.

Meanwhile, concerns are growing. In Kiev and the EU, a likely Trump victory in the US presidential election in November could mean a sharp decline in US support. Trump has previously claimed to have a plan for peace in Ukraine. According to his advisers, one proposal is to force Ukraine to the negotiating table with Russia, or US support will be withdrawn. It is unclear how Trump would succeed in persuading Putin to withdraw his troops.

So the Ukrainian president faces a difficult balancing act. The fact that Zelensky is now showing a willingness to compromise with Russia could be a way to engage with a future Trump administration, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst told CNN on Saturday. But that will only happen if the conditions are right, Herbst said.

– If I were Zelensky, I would be concerned about the signals coming from the United States and the Trump camp. American support is the most widespread, and if it declines or disappears after a possible Trump victory, it will look bleak for Ukraine.

It might be so. Jürgen Elving believes that the president realized that it is difficult to achieve peace through negotiations without Russian participation.

– If the Russians say no and show a tough stance, on the other hand, Zelensky will bring water to his mill. This could then help strengthen the West's resolve to support Ukraine.

On Friday, there were further indications that Trump and Zelensky discussed Ukraine attending a peace meeting with Russia. After Trump and Zelensky spoke by phone, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that “both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal.”

“Zelensky may have done his best to try to convince Trump of the need for continued support — but whether it was like pouring water on a goose, I don’t know,” says Jürgen Elfving.