Zelenskyy: We have a window for talks with Russia before winter

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Ukraine has a "window of opportunity" for talks with Russia on ending the war before the next winter.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with CBS News, recorded on 29 May and published on 31 May

Details: The president was asked to comment on a statement by Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, Commander of the Third Army Corps, that Ukraine has six to nine months to seize the initiative on the battlefield from Russia and strengthen its position for peace talks.

Zelenskyy responded: "Yes, that is true". He said that from December 2025 Russia began losing the initiative on the battlefield and he shared this information with American partners.

Quote: "I said to them [partners – ed.] in January, I think that we have a window for the negotiations, because each month they [the Russians – ed.] will lose more and more people, and because of these reasons, they will lose the initiative on the battlefield.

Now they began to attack us with large-scale missile strikes, and again, the main reason why they did it, because they began to lose on the battlefield. In a month they couldn't occupy more territories than they lost during that same month.

So now we have this period of time before winter. So I think that before winter, we need to find a way, a diplomatic way, to sit down and to speak. But it depends on pressure on Putin, pressure in his society, and I think that is increasing, pressure by sanctions – not lifting them, but introducing new ones. It's good, it's a diplomatic way."

Details: Reflecting on who might represent Europe in peace talks on Ukraine, Zelenskyy mentioned a "three-country format".

"The three countries are the UK, France and Germany. I think these three countries can be negotiators. But also we have good partners from the Nordic countries, and also you know that Türkiye has always wanted to be a mediator, and even we had some successful steps when we brought back our prisoners of war. This is also very important. But who will there be at the end? It's up to Ukraine and Europe to decide and it's also important that Russia will be ready for talks, for dialogue and for Europe," the president added.

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