Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western leaders to pressure Russia to make peace using “all necessary means.”
Speaking in Spain, Mr Zelenskiy said “tangible coercion from Russia” was needed, which aimed to “destroy Ukraine and move on”.
Zelensky has long said he will not negotiate directly with Russia until Moscow’s forces leave all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.
However, his call comes at a time when Russia is making gains against Ukraine, while Kiev is facing a shortage of weapons supplied by the West.
Russia, President Zelensky said, was dropping about 3,200 guided aerial bombs on Ukraine every month.
“How do you combat that?” he asked reporters in Madrid where he met Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The Ukrainian leader rejected the idea of inviting Russia to a planned peace summit in Switzerland next month.
The summit is expected to include representatives from more than 90 countries.
Delegates will seek to chart a course for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on ten demands from Kiev, calling for the return of all invaded territory, reparations for war-related damage and the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s to prosecute war. crimes, a plan that Moscow has flatly rejected.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for talks, but only “to achieve the objectives now being achieved through the special military operation,” as Russia describes the war in Ukraine.
In Madrid, Zelensky urged Western leaders to lift the ban on using donated weapons to attack internationally recognized Russian territory.
Most Western countries, including the US, have insisted that Kiev focus its attacks on Russian forces occupying Ukrainian territory.
“We must work together and put pressure not only on Russia, but also on our partners to give us the opportunity to defend ourselves against Russia,” the Ukrainian leader said.
One of the conditions for receiving billions in aid from Western allies is that Kiev outlines its own vision of how this war should end.
That is why President Zelensky previously published a “10-point peace plan,” which includes the complete withdrawal of Russian forces and provides guarantees against future Russian aggression.
That is what Kiev has always asked for, but the tone has changed.
The summit in Switzerland generates urgency for President Zelensky. He wants to boost the international momentum behind his term in office.
Until now, it has been mainly Ukraine that has called for a full Russian withdrawal, and the West has tried to support the country in that effort. The summit could be his only chance to make it a non-negotiable issue for his allies and keep the negotiating table at bay.
The more countries show up, the more political pressure the Kremlin may feel.
Or at least that’s the hope.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that any kind of peace deal must “reflect the reality on the battlefield.” That reality means his forces continue to wage a major cross-border offensive in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. As a result, more and more villages are conquered.
As has been the case for the past eighteen months, his soldiers are not only capturing territory, but holding it. Russia, or Vladimir Putin, doesn’t have to compromise on anything yet.
But what Kiev claims is that any compromise or gray area plays into Moscow’s hands. It points to previous failed ceasefires during Russia’s decade of aggression, but also to the argument that Putin will eventually want to conquer all of Ukraine, while the world’s gaze turns elsewhere.
Ukrainian commanders claim to have the situation under control, and President Zelenskiy’s resumption of international travel may reflect that.
What may also have fueled his trip to Madrid is his continued need to combat war fatigue and secure continued military and humanitarian aid.
An announced $1 billion package from Spain shows that Zelensky’s diplomacy can still pay off.
President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
