Zelenskiy Unveils Peace Plan, Dismisses Dialogue with Putin as 'Meaningless'

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, has announced plans to present a comprehensive peace proposal to U.S. President Joe Biden and potential successors. This development comes as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, approaches its 31st month.

At a press conference in Kyiv on August 27, 2024, Zelenskiy outlined key aspects of his strategy:

• A three-week incursion into Russia's Kursk region
• Economic measures
• Diplomatic initiatives

The Ukrainian leader emphasized that the primary objective is to compel Russia to end the war on terms favorable to Ukraine. He stated, "The main point of this plan is to force Russia to end the war. And I want that very much - (that it would be) fair for Ukraine."

Zelenskiy intends to discuss this plan with Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and potentially former President Donald Trump, the two nominees for the upcoming U.S. presidential election. He expressed his intention to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September, where he hopes to meet with Biden.

The Ukrainian president views a follow-up international summit as the primary forum for peace talks. This comes after the initial summit held in Switzerland in June 2024, which excluded Russian representatives but attracted numerous delegations. Notably, China, the world's second-largest economy, did not participate despite Ukraine's efforts to engage the Global South.

Zelenskiy firmly rejected the possibility of compromises with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, "There can be no compromises with Putin, dialogue today is in principle empty and meaningless because he does not want to end the war diplomatically."

Ukraine claims to control over 1,200 square kilometers of Russia's Kursk region, a move that Zelenskiy says has reduced international pressure on Ukraine to make territorial concessions. He mocked Putin for prioritizing the capture of Ukrainian land over defending Russian territory, pointing to Ukraine's alleged capture of 100 settlements in the Kursk region while Russian forces continue their advance in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

"We are continuing to make progress on our domestic weapons production and have conducted our first test of a domestically-produced ballistic missile."

This statement underscores Ukraine's efforts to strengthen its military capabilities independently.

As the conflict persists, the international community continues to seek a resolution. Narendra Modi, India's Prime Minister, recently spoke with Putin, expressing support for an early and peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. However, with Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, dismissing talks following Ukraine's Kursk incursion, and Putin insisting on Ukraine's acceptance of "realities on the ground," the path to peace remains challenging.