Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said peace cannot be established until all Russian forces are expelled and all territory captured by Moscow, including Crimea, is returned. The “victory plan” he outlined last month maintained that provision, as well as an invitation for Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, long denounced by Russia.
Zelenskyy told European leaders in Budapest last week that concessions to Russia would be “unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all Europe”.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the depths of the Cold War, with President Joe Biden driving efforts to isolate Russia.
Gatilov indicated Trump’s election represented a new possibility for dialogue with the US, but was doubtful about a broader reset of relations, echoing earlier caution voiced by the Kremlin.
“The US political elite, regardless of domestic political shifts, consistently pursues a stance of containing Moscow … this orientation is deeply-rooted, unfortunately, and the change of administration does little to alter it,” he said.
“The only shift (that) might be possible is dialogue between our countries, something that has been lacking during the last several years,” he added.
