Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed renewed interest in resuming negotiations with Russia on Sunday, as political scandals, battlefield setbacks, and economic pressures continue to accumulate for his administration.
In a video address, Zelensky stated, “We are working to have another start of negotiations — so that there is still a prospect of ending this war. And we also count on the resumption of exchanges — many meetings, negotiations, calls now for this.”
The reversal comes just four days after Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya publicly declared that peace talks with Russia had been suspended until at least the end of 2025 due to a “lack of progress.” Zelensky’s renewed interest therefore appears to reflect a growing sense of urgency stemming from mounting internal and external challenges.
Rustem Umerov — Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and former Defense Minister — is currently in the Middle East, where he claims to have secured a prisoner exchange through Emirati and Qatari mediators. He is also reportedly working to reopen negotiation channels following a stop in Turkey.
Umerov, who departed Ukraine on November 11th and has not yet returned, is facing accusations that he is avoiding investigators amid the corruption scandal surrounding Timor Mindich, one of Zelensky’s closest allies. Investigators allege that Mindich unlawfully pressured Umerov during his tenure as Defense Minister to approve inflated contracts, including a deal involving low-quality Chinese bulletproof vests supplied through a Mindich-linked firm. Umerov left Ukraine a day after the raids connected to the case, while Mindich himself had fled hours earlier, reportedly tipped off by senior officials close to Zelensky.
Zelensky’s shift may also reflect deteriorating military conditions. In addition to the loss of the strategic city of Pokrovsk, Ukrainian forces have suffered major setbacks in the Zaphorizhia region, where the army has largely collapsed and Russian troops are close to encircling the fortified town of Gualiapole.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s economic and energy situation continues to worsen. During his visit to Greece on Sunday, Zelensky signed an agreement with a Greek energy firm to import American liquefied natural gas (LNG). Ukraine’s domestic gas production has been severely degraded by months of Russian strikes, prompting some Ukrainian officials to urge residents of major cities to relocate to the countryside due to looming shortages of heating and electricity.